'We sometimes get calls from people crying, asking us if they can quit'
Thousands of employees in Japan are seeking experts to help them tender their resignations against the backdrop of an employment culture that frowns on such actions.
Shiori Kawamata, operations manager at Momuri, said their company received as many as 11,000 inquiries from clients in the past year, CNN reported.
"Some people come to us after having their resignation letter ripped three times and employers not letting them quit even when they kneel down to the ground to bow," Kawamata told CNN.
"We sometimes get calls from people crying, asking us if they can quit their job based on ‘XYZ’. We tell them that it is okay, and that quitting their job is a labour right."
Momuri, which means "I can't do this anymore" in Japanese, is an agency that assists employees in resigning and negotiating with employers during the process.
They do this for a price of JPY22,000 for full-time employees, and JPY12,000 for those who work part-time.
The rise of resignation agencies comes as younger people in Japan resist the country's longstanding culture of making employees remain with one employer for a long time, according to the CNN.
Hiroshi Ono, a human resources professor from the Hitotsubashi University Business School in Tokyo, told CNN that younger employees in Japan no longer hesitate to quit when there is a mismatch of expectations.
He pointed out, however, that these employees are more likely to be non-confrontational due to the lack of social interactions at work because of COVID. As a result, employees turn to resignation agencies to help them quit without direct contact with their employers.
The struggle to leave organisations also comes amid Japan's overwork culture, which has led to deaths among the workforce.
This year, the Fund for Local Government Employees' Accident Compensation in Kumamoto declared that excessive overtime work made an employee of the Kumamoto Prefectural Board of Education commit suicide in fiscal 2022.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide — free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via text 1-767, email [email protected] or chat https://www.sos.org.sg.
