We had to ask Gushcloud why they’re giving employees paid leaves to go on Tinder dates

Ever wondered if you could take PTO (paid time off) just to socialise and meet someone new?

Well, at Gushcloud International, you now can. The global creator and entertainment company that’s headquartered in Singapore just announced its partnership with the dating app Tinder to introduce Tinder Leave. 

It’s a new employee benefit that’s open to all of Gushcloud’s employees spread across Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. And it’s not just an extra day off.

Nirote May Chaweewannakorn (May), Country Director of Gushcloud Thailand and Head of Talent for Southeast Asia, explained that employees will gain access to the company’s Tinder Platinum subscriptions too.

How it works is employees subscribe themselves to Tinder Platinum and are reimbursed by the company. After a few months, they can request for Tinder Leave to take a day off to go on a date with their Tinder match.

This company-sponsored Tinder Platinum subscription will be available to Gushcloud employees for six months between August 1 to December 31, 2024. 

Interested employees just need to inform HR, download the dating app, upgrade to Tinder Platinum, and seek reimbursement from their country’s HR or finance department. As for the Tinder Leave application, the usual process remains where HR and team leads are informed three days in advance.

Gushcloud’s team during a company trip back in 2020

“Our goal is to encourage staff to explore new connections and meet new people, making Tinder Leave an attractive incentive,” May expressed.

“There aren’t many [eligibility] criteria. This benefit is available to all [our] regular employees who are single, as we trust our employees to act responsibly. We believe that fostering a healthy social life is essential, and we fully support our single colleagues in finding a potential partner or even forming new friendships outside the office.”

A modern benefit for a modern company 

You might be thinking, was there an actual employee request for this? Nope. The idea was first proposed by the team at Gushcloud Thailand as part of a collaboration campaign. 

Upon further discussions with Tinder, they then agreed to extend this proposal to other countries in the APAC region. This eventually led to the current partnership between Tinder Global and Gushcloud International.

“We recognised the importance of a balanced work-life dynamic, especially in Southeast Asia, where social connections are crucial. We saw an opportunity to offer a unique benefit that fits our company culture and helps our single employees build meaningful relationships or interesting friendships,” May shared.

Gushcloud doesn’t have any set expectations for how often employees will use this benefit. Instead, they’re more focused on the quality of their experience using this company perk.

Gushcloud’s team during its early days

As for Tinder, a spokesperson from the matchmaking platform said that Gen Zs are redefining the idea of work and the workplace. With an increasing focus on work-love-life balance, healthy personal relationships are a priority for this modern generation of workers. 

Hence, employers need to start investing in benefits and initiatives that address employees’ social and personal lives to support their overall well-being. 

“We are looking forward to working with progressive companies in the region looking to provide enhanced support for employees in finding and making meaningful personal connections,” they concluded.

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