Rail staff face 'smile police'

[Tuffty]

A Japanese rail firm has introduced a system to check that staff are smiling enough at all times.

Computerised scanners around 15 Tokyo stations will measure the smile's curvature to ensure it is broad enough.

Those failing to measure up - literally - will be advised to look less serious and more cheerful.

The system will also be introduced at a hospital in Osaka to check staff friendliness and at a truck stop to measure the tiredness of drivers.

The BBC's Roland Buerk, in Tokyo, says that the Japanese highly value customer service.

It is standard practice, our correspondent explains, for smartly-dressed train conductors to bow as customers enter and leave train carriages.

The software has been developed by Japanese firm Omron.

They suggests that future applications may include shops - where they could be positioned to measure the reaction of customers to products on display.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8146078.stm

[Saikami]

Sounds like my job...My boss is always walking around going "SMILE! "

My jaw wants to fall off at the end of the day ;

[JFC]

Understandable that they want their staff to present an air of friendliness to help comfort passengers/commuters and what not. It's kinda creepy though, the way they're going about doing it.

[Mugen]

Lets put a smile on that FACE!'


seriously though, when i was asking directions at the train stations, they were pretty polite and stuff even though they weren't smiling.