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International businesses fight back against doctors

An Australian court has put a limit on the sports-mad stereotype of the nation in defiance of the medical profession and a Japanese business is standing up for the rights of the broken-hearted, despite a lack of medical evidence.

In Melbourne, a court has ruled against a claim from a casino employee that ‘football fever’ was an illness that made it necessary for him to miss work and attend a crucial game, despite his doctor providing him with a sick note to cover the absence. The judge expressed some sympathy for the employee in ruling that the decision to dismiss him was ‘unfortunate but fair’.

Meanwhile, Hime and Co., a Japanese marketing firm, have introduced ‘heartbreak leave’ under which staff in their twenties can take up to two days paid leave every year to mend a broken heart and older employees can take up to three days. ‘With heartbreak, everyone needs time off’ says romantic owner Miki Hiradate.