A Chinese tech company offers a $140,000 bonus to employees for losing weight

The Chinese camera company Arashi Vision (better known as Insta360) has gained popularity on the Internet thanks to its “strange” bonuses for staff: every employee there can earn extra money by simply losing a couple of extra pounds.

On August 12, the company launched the annual Million Yuan Weight Loss Challenge, which provides about $140,000 in payments to employees who lose weight.

The rules are quite simple: an employee registers for the challenge and receives $70 for each 0,5 kilogram lost. One of Insta360’s employees, Xie Yiqi, has already lost more than 20 kg in three months and earned $2800, with the title of “Weight Loss Champion” to boot.

The woman remained disciplined throughout the challenge, carefully monitoring her diet and exercising for 1.5 hours every day. She even shared “Qin Hao’s weight loss methodThe regimen that once helped Chinese actor Qin Hao lose 10 kg in 15 days is to consume only soy milk on the first day, corn on the second day, fruit on the third day, and alternate between proteins and vegetables on the following days.” in a group chat to inspire other colleagues.

The weight loss initiative is held annually at Insta360 to motivate employees to adopt a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise and a balanced diet. Since 2022, the company has already held 7 rounds of the competition, distributing prizes totaling 2 million yuan ($280,000). Last year, 99 employees took part in the challenge, losing 950 kg together and sharing a cash prize of one million yuan.

Importantly, the program includes penalties to help maintain the result: a participant who gains weight again must pay $110 for each kilogram. But so far, no one has been penalized.

Source: SCMP