另類福利：日本公司請員工喝酒

Boozing into the night might inhibit coherent speech, but a Japanese company bets it will make workers communicate better. And it's even willing to pay for it.

Japan General Estate Co said Tuesday it is planning to dole out thousands of dollars a month for its employees to go on the town in a bid to help communication.

Japanese companies routinely offer generous expense accounts to entertain clients, but the real estate company is going a step further by subsidising workers' drinking sessions with one another.

The company plans to offer managers who supervise 20 or more people up to 300,000 yen (3,000 dollars) a month to take them out. Managers with fewer than 20 workers will get 200,000 yen, a company statement said.

After-hours drinking is encouraged in Japanese corporate culture as a way to break the ice in work environments that can be uptight and formal.

But critics say the pressure to drink is one of the reasons why Japan's population is declining as men in particular spend little time at home.

Japan General Estate said the drinking benefits could alternatively be used for wedding or funeral expenses.

The company is known for its unorthodox work policies, such as paying 100,000 yen in benefits every month to employees who do not smoke.

喝酒至深夜可能會導致說話語無倫次，但日本一家公司卻認爲喝酒可以增進員工間的交流，而且甚至願意爲此買單。

日本房地產總公司於本週二表示，公司計劃每月爲員工提供幾千美元的“促進交流”活動經費。

日本公司在招待客戶方面一向慷慨大方，但這家房地產公司更勝一籌，甚至願爲員工喝酒聚會提供補貼。

該公司在一項聲明中表示，公司計劃爲管理20人以上的經理提供每月30萬日元（合3000美元）的部門聚餐經費；手下員工不到20人的經理則可領到20萬日元的經費。

日本的企業文化鼓勵員工下班後喝酒聚會，這樣可以幫助員工在嚴肅緊張的工作環境中緩和氣氛。

但批評人士認爲，喝酒應酬是日本人口持續下降的原因之一，特別是男性經常在外應酬，很少有時間在家。

日本房地產總公司表示，酒水補貼也可用於婚葬支出。

該公司一直以其“另類的”員工政策而著名，比如，不吸菸的員工每月可獲10萬日元的獎金。