An increasing number of companies are converting top athletes into full-time employees once they retire because they "have mental toughness and pursue success at any cost."
"I wondered if I could work at my desk from 9 a.m. until 5:35 p.m.," swimmer Haruka Ueda, 26, said, recalling her decision to work for Kikkoman Corp. after winning bronze in the 4 x 100 meter medley relay in the 2012 London Olympics.
Ueda joined the soy sauce maker in 2011 as a contract worker on condition that she could become a full-time employee after retirement.