A company in Tokyo named Hime & Company(Japanese page) has started offering its all-female staff “heartache leave” to provide them with paid time off to ease the pain of break-ups with loved ones.

[The company], which also gives staff paid time off to hit the shops during sales season, says heartache leave allows staff to cry themselves out and return to work refreshed. “Not everyone needs to take maternity leave but with heartbreak, everyone needs time off, just like when you get sick,” CEO Miki Hiradate, whose company of six women markets cosmetics and other goods targeted for women, told Reuters by telephone.

Under the heartache leave scheme, Hime (which means “princess” in Japanese) employees 24 years old or younger are allowed one day off per year, workers from 25 and 29 are given two days annually, and those older than 29 are can take three.

“Women in their 20s can find their next love quickly, but it’s tougher for women in their 30s, and their break-ups tend to be more serious,” Hiradate said.

Hime & Company also claims that their “shopping leave” also helps the modern working woman avoid problems and feelings of guilt for taking off to hit the stores when sales are on.

“Before, women could take half-days off to go to sales, but you’d have to hide your shopping bags in lockers by the train station,” Hiradate said.
“But with paid leave, we don’t have to feel guilty about bringing our shopping bags to work, and we can enjoy the best part about sales shopping — talking about our purchases afterwards.”

Via Asian Pop with YienJee