Chinese Company Makes Employees Run a Mile a Day if They Want Their Bonus

A paper company in China has stopped tying annual bonuses to on-the-job productivity and now requires employees to meet physical activity goals.

The head of Guangdong Dongpo Paper Co., Ltd. is an avid mountain climber who struggled to get employees involved in playing sports.

That’s when Lin Zhiyong came up with the idea to use bonuses as a motivator for his 100 employees, Guangzhou Daily reported.

He said he wants his workers to stay healthy.

Now they earn yearly bonuses equal to one month of their annual salary for running about one mile every day.

The worker’s bonus is knocked down to 60% for people who only do 18 miles a month, and goes up to 130% of their planned bonus if they do 100 kilometers a month, which is about 62 miles.

As an extra incentive, employees who meet the 31 miles a month goal for six consecutive months will be given a new pair of running shoes.

The paper reports that employees seem pleased with the program, calling it a win-win situation.

One employee said, “Not only exercise but also have money to get two birds with one stone."

Those who can’t run can also walk or mountain climb to reach a different set of goals.

The exercise is tracked by an app.

In November, an employee named Zhou Jian was in first place with a mileage of about 55 miles for the month.