One boss has surprised his employees by handing out bonuses based on who could drink him under the table.

An employee surnamed Zhang from Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, China, said that his boss placed a pile of money on the table saying that people would get their bonuses based on how much they drank.

“Men were given 500 yuan ($82) for a shot of liquor, 200 yuan ($33) for a glass of red wine and 100 yuan for a beer. Women were given twice as much money for consuming the same amounts,” Zhang told the Global Times.

“We worked hard all year only to learn our bonuses would be decided by our alcohol tolerance. It was absolutely unfair to people who can’t drink much.”

The boss said that the company’s business success was rooted in employees being able to hold their liquor with clients.

Many employees became drunk. Mr Zhang said those with high alcohol tolerance could pocket over 10,000 yuan ($16,000, while others had to settle for 1000 yuan ($160).

“I couldn’t get a bonus if I didn’t drink, but it is bad for one’s health to drink too much. Everyone ended up drinking and some people vomited,” said Mr Zhang, who described the unusual bonus system as “unreasonable and inhumane.”

Legal experts said there are no laws related to the distribution of year-end bonuses, which is determined at the discretion of employers.

This article originally appeared on News.com.au.