MAli was only two months into his new job when he decided enough was enough. A position at an online bank in Tokyo, which he found through a staffing agency, seemed like a perfect fit for the 25-year-old, who is part of Japan's army of temporary workers.
However, she soon became depressed. “On the first day they gave me a thick manual to read. When I went to my boss to ask a question, he said, 'Why the hell are you asking that?' ””
Mari, who asked that her real name not be used, was regularly forced to work late and her boss' behavior became more threatening. “He asked me why it took me so long to finish my work and pretended to hit me when he thought I made a mistake. He then made me slam my pencil case on the floor on purpose. It was power harassment, pure and simple.”
Unable to muster up the courage to tell her boss of her intention to resign, she sought help from a company that offers proxy resignation. The service is a rapidly growing service for Japanese workers who are unable to submit resignation notices directly.
Momuri, a Tokyo-based agency, reports that demand has soared since it began offering retirement services two and a half years ago. “We submit our resignations on behalf of those who, for whatever reason, are unable to do so themselves,” says Shinji Tanimoto, president of Albatross, the company behind Japanese Momuri. “Enough is enough.”
She added: “Sometimes it's just a natural reluctance, but others may have experienced harassment or even violence from their employer. When they come to us, they're at a loss.”
The company is one of an estimated 100 companies across Japan that offer similar services, and has so far received 350,000 online consultations and completed 20,000 resignations.
Experts say this trend has been accelerated by the disruption to work and lifestyle caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and that working from home has caused many people to rethink their work-life balance, changing the way a generation thinks about work. It is believed that this is due to replacement.
Additionally, Japan's chronic labor shortages (a symptom of a declining birthrate) have made employers determined to retain employees, even if it means threatening them. Some employees force their employees to find a replacement themselves before accepting their resignation, or they tear up their resignation letter in front of the employee.
After contacting Momri through the popular messaging app, customers are asked to fill out a survey, sign a contract and pay a fee. It is 22,000 yen (£110) for full-time employees and 12,300 yen for part-time or fixed-term employees. Term contract.
One of Momuri's 50 staff members then calls the employer on the customer's behalf. Tanimoto said his firm employs lawyers to handle legal disputes, so the process from initial consultation to termination takes only 20 to 30 minutes.
60% of Momuri users are in their 20s, including many new graduates. According to the Ministry of Labor, more than 30% of new graduates leave their jobs within three years, a number that would have been unimaginable during Japan's postwar economic miracle.
According to Tanimoto, there are countless reasons for wanting to quit, and the company boasts a 100% success rate. From unpaid overtime, low wages, and violation of employer contracts to verbal abuse, violence, and sexual harassment.
“In Japan, companies are traditionally strong, so employers do what they say,” he says. “And the Japanese are generally reluctant to rock the boat. Resignation is seen as shirking and running away from responsibility. But that is changing.”
The surge in demand for substitutional retirement is a sign of a conflict between Gen Z workers and companies whose culture is rooted in the post-war era, when absolute loyalty from employees was expected in return for lifetime employment, promotions, and raises. It is thought that this is caused by a mismatch between Many bosses take a request to resign as a personal insult.
Although Momri's customer base is primarily young people, she also receives requests for support from older employees. “We work with all kinds of companies, from big names to small businesses,” Tanimoto says. His company once submitted 45 people to the same company to resign all at once.
Employer reactions have been mixed. A few employees show remorse and indirectly apologize to the employee, and most simply accept the decision and complete the necessary paperwork. “But a small number of people go crazy and threaten to show up at our office, things like that,” he added. “It makes you think how bad it would have been for the client if they had behaved that way.”
Retirement agencies say that consultations spike during times when people tend to be introspective, such as after long holidays, weekends, and even rainy days. According to Mynavi, which provides employment information, one in six Japanese workers used a retirement agency to change jobs in the 12 months up to June of this year.
The largest group of respondents, 40.7%, said their employer either prevented them from leaving their job or asked for help because they were at risk of leaving. Almost one-third said their work environment prevented them from communicating their intention to leave, and around 25% said they were worried their company would treat them badly.
In September, one month after being hired on a short-term contract by an IT company, Fuyui Iida sent an email to his retirement agency.
“The job was more physically demanding than I had been told, so I decided to quit,'' says Iida, who is currently taking a break from work. “But when I spoke to the manager, he pointed out that I had a one-year contract and hadn't been there long, so he refused to let me go.”
It took just a few hours for the 25-year-old to sever ties with his employer. “I was really happy because I didn't have to go to work the next day. It felt like I was given a second chance.”
Mari felt a similar wave of relief when she returned to work. “The experience affected my physical and mental health,” she says.
“In Japan, you are expected to focus on your company, and quitting is out of the question. But people of my generation are different. We are more calculating about our life choices. , for me it means prioritizing personal well-being over work.”
