One of China’s major technology companies, Insta360, has launched an unusual initiative to encourage its employees to lead a healthy lifestyle. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
According to Shanghai City News Service, the company initiated a challenge called “Lose Weight and Earn Money.” In this project, every employee who loses weight receives a reward of 500 yuan, approximately 70 dollars, for every 500 grams lost.
The unique aspect of the project is that if an employee gains weight, they must pay a fine of 800 yuan for every 500 grams gained. These rules not only provide financial incentives to employees but also encourage them to pay serious attention to their health.
Ninety-nine employees participated in the challenge and collectively lost a total of 950 kilograms, earning a combined reward of 1 million yuan, approximately 139 thousand dollars. Interestingly, no one had to pay any fines.
Representatives of Insta360 emphasized that the main goal of this initiative is to promote a healthy lifestyle and create a positive environment at the workplace. The project attracted significant interest on social media.
Many users are suggesting implementing similar programs at their workplaces. A similar project was previously carried out at Wonderlab company in Guangdong.
There, as a result of a one-month weight loss competition, 224 employees lost a total of up to 750 kilograms, and a total of 171 thousand yuan in prize money was distributed. The participant with the best result lost 16.4 kilograms and received a reward of 7,600 yuan.
These programs align with the three-year strategy of the National Health Commission of China for weight control and combating obesity. According to national statistics, in 2023, 57 percent of the adult population in the country was found to be overweight or obese.
This figure was 51 percent in 2018 and 46 percent in 2013. If effective measures are not taken, this number could reach 65 percent by 2030.
At the same time, medical expenses related to obesity are expected to rise to 418 billion yuan and account for 22 percent of total healthcare costs.
