This Chinese tech company offers incentives to employees to go on dates

A Chinese company, Insta360, has started a campaign by providing cash incentives for employees to go on dates. The campaign aims to promote happiness in the workplace and address societal challenges. It tries to boost connections and a feeling of belongingness among workers, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).
The Shezen-based tech company will provide 66 yuan, which is around ₹770, to workers for each valid post introducing a single individual of the company on its internal dating platform. The reward does not end here.
The employees who find a match and maintain a relationship successfully for three months will get a higher reward. The company will offer 1,000 yuan, which is approximately ₹11,650 each, to both partners.
 
The company’s campaign has witnessed tremendous participation from employees, with around 500 posts published on the forum from its launch date. Nearly 10,000 yuan as small cash rewards has been distributed for sharing profiles, the report said, citing an Insta360 representative. But the company has not distributed any dating bonuses yet since the beginning of the campaign. The campaign began three months ago.

The campaign received mixed reactions from several employees where some appreciated it whereas some questioned the consequences of such a move.
“My company is more eager than my mum,” one of the employees joked.
Another question, as quoted by the report, “Does the company have any recruitment plans?”

Some social media users also requested the government to introduce such dating campaigns. They even suggested that the government should introduce similar incentives.
However, many were not impressed with the novel initiative. “Love should not be measured by money,” the report quoted one critic as saying.
The company’s move comes at a time when China’s marriage and birth rates are declining. The rates have been declining since the last decade. In the first three quarters of 2024, only 4.74 million couples registered for marriage, according to government data.