Japanese firm rewards staff for sleeping well

SLEEPING on the job is a big no-no but for a Japanese firm, sleep is valued among its employees.

Wedding planner Crazy Inc rewards its staff points for sleeping at least six hours a night, five days a week, according to Sin Chew Daily and Oriental Daily.

The company founder Kazuhiko Moriyama believes that a well-rested employee is a productive employee.

The points awarded can be exchanged for food in the company’s canteen worth some 64,000 yen (RM2,400) a year.

Their sleep is tracked by an app created by Japanese mattress manufacturer Airweave Inc.

Crazy Inc also offers nutritious diet, exercise and a positive work environment to its staff, along with childcare allowances and opportunities for vacations on normal work days.

“You must ensure workers’ bene- fits, otherwise the country’s economy will go into recession,” said Moriyama.

“I want to eventually hire a million employees. I want to do something that others think is crazy.”

According to a medical survey in Japan, more than 92% of Japanese over the age of 20 say they lack sleep.

Japan’s work culture is notoriously intense, with overtime a norm and cases of workers dying of exhaustion.

> China Press reported that two boys who had been going around an unnamed village at midnight dressed up as pocong (shrouded ghost) to scare the villagers were caught red-handed.

Quoting a Facebook page, Sarawak Viral, the report said the two teens got the punishment they “deserved” when they were taken to a cemetery nearby for a sleepover – clad in their white shrouds.

>A 25-year-old man pleaded guilty to assaulting a petrol kiosk attendant in Sungkai, Perak, on Oct 6 and was fined RM2,000, in default five months’ jail, by the Tapah magistrate’s court.

During the incident, the 23-yearold attendant was set upon by a group of men after he mistakenly filled up one of the motorcycles with RON95, instead of RON97, petrol.

The victim was dragged out of the counter and beaten up even after he apologised.

You must ensure workers’ benefits, otherwise the country’s economy will go into recession. Kazuhiko Moriyama