In Japan, a vacation like no other
To encourage their employees to rest, some Japanese companies are introducing "leisure" leave with original concepts, such as going fishing or attending a manga fair. This idea could become an asset for improving the recruitment of new employees, reports the daily newspaper "Nihon Keizai Shimbun."
“In my previous job, I didn't feel a sense of belonging to my company,” says Tomoki Tanaka . “And for good reason, we hardly ever talked to each other.” The 29-year-old joined the IT company Artwize, located in downtown Tokyo, in February 2024. He has many hobbies, such as Pokémon cards and camping. “[I chose Artwize] because I can interact with colleagues who share the same interests,” he continues.
After two months at the company, he organized an internal Pokémon card championship with about ten employees. Even the company's CEO, Takayasu Mukai, willingly participated, even though he was a novice. A session explaining the rules by Tomoki Tanaka was enough. Everyone played, putting aside their status, and the employee even gave his boss the affectionate nickname "Mucchi-san." instead of Mukai-san (“Mr. Mukai”).
Artwize introduced leisure leave in 2022. It grants one day per year and pays a monthly bonus of up to 3,000 yen [18 euros]. It was in the red the previous year, and 30% of its employees left. Recruitment was becoming difficult. And that's
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