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Workers often complain that they don’t have time to meet people because their work is so demanding. This is enough to prompt a company in Thailand to introduce a “Tinder holiday” for its single employees. An initiative that is supposed to improve their personal well-being but also their productivity.
Marketing firm Whiteline Group recently announced plans to offer additional time off to its employees looking for a romantic partner.Our employees can take Tinder leave to meet people“, the company announced on LinkedIn last August. It did not specify how many days its single employees are entitled to, but it did say it will cover the cost of their Tinder Gold and Platinum subscriptions. Whiteline Group employees have until December 31, 2024, to search for their soul mate on the popular dating app at their employer’s expense.
The company, which employs about 200 people, says it got the idea to play Cupid after hearing about one of its employees’ relationship difficulties. A member of management reportedly overheard the young woman complaining that her professional life didn’t leave her time to meet other single people, according to The Strait TimesEmployees wishing to take advantage of this Tinder holiday will need to notify their managers a week in advance before they can leave the office to go in search of true love.
While this initiative may come as a surprise, Whiteline Group believes that it will contribute to the personal well-being of its teams. It also hopes that it will help its single employees become more efficient at work. But that is not certain. A studypublished in 2013 in the journal Motivation and Emotion, claims that love can be a distraction. Its authors argue that people who have just started a new romantic relationship have “reduced cognitive control.” In other words, they have difficulty concentrating and performing simple tasks because they are so obsessed with their loved one.
Intrusive initiatives?
Regardless of what science says, companies are eager to help their workers find love. In August, Gushcloud International, an entertainment and influencer company, announced a partnership with Tinder that will give its employees in Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia a free Tinder subscription and an extra day off to date.We believe in fostering a healthy social life, and it’s a great way to help our employees achieve their relationship goals, whether that’s meeting new people, making new friends, or finding a life partner.“, Althea Lim, co-founder and CEO of Gushcloud International, told the Site Branding in Asia.
This vision of the role of the company can be questioned, as it blurs the line between private and professional lives, which is not without danger for employees. By agreeing to take advantage of a “Tinder leave”, workers are choosing to disclose their romantic status to their employer, at the risk of it harming their career development.
But in countries facing significant demographic decline, such as Thailand or Japan, this intrusion of companies into an intimate domain is hardly surprising. In 2022, 800 Japanese companies and organizations decided to play matchmaker by offering their employees the use of Aill goen, a dating application based on artificial intelligence, according to The South China Morning PostIt remains to be seen whether couples have formed thanks to this surprising initiative, and above all whether they last.