Bonus money for employees to come to the office for lunch

Companies have come up with a novel solution to this problem: bonuses. They reward employees who come into the office on a certain number of days to improve mental health, strengthen team bonding and stimulate creativity.

In September 2023, Osaka-based project management company Agileware began paying employees an additional $13 a day to come into the office, plus $4 for going out to lunch with colleagues.

The board of directors set a condition that employees must work in the office more than four hours a day and receive a bonus for a maximum of 10 days a month. The allowance is included in the company's official regulations, which are part of the fixed salary system.

The company had embraced remote work before the pandemic, allowing employees to work from wherever was convenient for them. Freedom is at the core of Agileware’s culture, but they still wanted to find ways to encourage engagement in their employees’ lives.

The rising mental health costs for engineers reflect the loneliness they feel after being away from the office environment. Some employees who joined the company during the pandemic and had the only option of working remotely have even left due to mental health issues.

“We created opportunities for employees to meet face-to-face and get a sense of each other’s problems,” said Mitsuyoshi Kawabata, director of Agileware, who also distributed 60 smartwatches to help them track their health.

Nagoya-based tech company Acompany has instituted a similar policy. Software engineers are paid an extra $7 a day if they write code in the office from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Like Agileware, they want to ensure balance and comfort for workers. At the same time, building a working environment for engineers is also considered quite important.

Hayata Sagasaki, a senior manager at Acompany, said the bonus could encourage remote workers to meet in person.

Both Agileware and Acompany are rethinking traditional travel benefits, which they say don't fit with current employee schedules.

"We listened carefully to experts' opinions to avoid increasing the burden on employees due to changes in tax and labor laws," said Mr. Hayata Sagasaki.