BANGKOK, Sept 13 — Working people often complain that they don’t have time to meet new people because they’re busy with their job. This has prompted a company in Thailand to introduce "Tinder leave” for its single employees. The initiative is designed to improve both personal well-being and productivity.

Marketing company Whiteline Group recently announced plans to offer extra time off to its employees looking for love. The company announced on LinkedIn in August that its staff would be able to take "Tinder leave” for dating.

It didn’t say how many days its single employees are eligible to take, but it did say that it would pay for the Tinder Gold and Platinum memberships of those concerned.

Whiteline Group employees have until December 31, 2024, to search for their soulmate on the famous dating app at their employer’s expense.

The company, which employs some 200 people, claims to have come up with the idea after hearing about the difficulties one of their employees was experiencing with her love life. A member of management reportedly overheard the young woman complaining that her professional life left her no time to meet other singles, reports the Strait Times.

Employees wishing to take advantage of this Tinder leave will need to give their managers a week’s notice before they can leave the office in search of their soulmate.

While this initiative may sound surprising, Whiteline Group believes it will contribute to the personal well-being of its teams. The firm also hopes that it will help its single employees to be more effective at work. But nothing is less sure.

Research, published in 2013 in the journal Motivation and Emotion, argues that love can be a factor that impacts concentration. Its authors argue that people who have just entered a new romantic relationship have "reduced cognitive control”. In other words, they may find it difficult to concentrate and carry out simple tasks because they’re so obsessed with their loved one.

Intrusive initiatives?

Whatever the science may say, some companies are keen to support their workers in their search for love.

In August, Gushcloud International, an entertainment and influencer company, announced that it had partnered with Tinder to provide its employees in Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia with a free Tinder membership, as well as an extra day off to go dating.

"We believe that fostering a healthy social life is essential, and this is a great way to take care of our employees in their relationship goals, whether that’s meeting new people, making new friends or finding a life partner,” said Althea Lim, co-founder and Group CEO of Gushcloud International, quoted by Branding in Asia.

This vision of the company’s role is questionable, as it blurs the boundary between workers’ private and professional lives, which is not without risks for employees. By agreeing to take advantage of Tinder leave, workers are making the choice to disclose their romantic situation to their employer, at the risk of this affecting their career development.

But in countries facing major demographic decline, such as Thailand and Japan, this incursion by companies into the private sphere is hardly surprising.

In 2022, 800 Japanese companies and organisations 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 Post.

It remains to be seen whether any couples have been formed thanks to this surprising initiative, and above all whether they stood the test of time. — ETX Studio