All over the world, there are recruitment agencies that place educated people in jobs according to their skills. There is no shortage even of manpower consultancies for skilled laborers. But how many of us know that there is even a resignation agency for people who want to quit their jobs?!
Such companies are making a big splash in Japan. This article is a brief overview of them.
In Japan, such resignation agencies are called “Taishoku Daiko.” To explain how these companies work simply: suppose you work at a company. You no longer want to continue working there. Let’s say you don’t want to tell your immediate superior, the HR manager, or anyone else directly, or you’re not in a position to do so. You can turn to this resignation agency. All you have to do is pay the amount they ask for and give them the details. They will inform everyone at your company, from your reporting authority to the HR manager.
According to the Washington Post, Momuri, one of the most popular resignation agencies in Japan, handles the task of informing the companies they worked for about the resignation decisions of around 2,500 people a month.
When Momuri launched the resignation agency in 2022, it handled an average of 200 resignations per month. The company name “Momuri” can also be seen as somewhat pointed. “Momuri” means, “I can’t take it anymore.”
This is like some kind of modern bedbug-crushing machine! One might ask why all this roundaboutness when you could just say it on the phone; there are many ways, like WhatsApp and email.
But if an employee reaches a point at a workplace where they feel, “I can no longer bear working here,” these companies handle practical matters as well on behalf of such employees—such as directly contacting the company, conveying the decision to resign, and coordinating the return of office belongings.
There are no such “resignation agencies” in India or even in Western countries. Why such agencies exist only in Japan has to be understood in relation to that country’s culture.
In Japanese society, in order to preserve harmony among people and avoid disruptions to social cohesion, each individual is expected to belong to a group in the workplace. In such a situation, great importance is also given to maintaining the group’s unity.
In that sense, when someone leaves a job, especially if they quit suddenly, it is seen as causing difficulties for coworkers and the team. Because of this, for many employees in Japan, this is something that is emotionally very difficult.
Moreover, in Japanese workplaces, employees’ loyalty and long-term commitment are widely valued. Because of this, leaving a company is said to be seen as almost like abandoning it.
The hierarchy, or chain of command, in Japanese companies is said to be somewhat rigid.
Even having a polite resignation conversation is often viewed as disrespectful to one’s superior.
It is in this context that people are said to approach resignation agencies, believing that they remove the need to directly face a “farewell confrontation.”
There is another perspective too!
If such resignation agencies help avoid an awkward farewell when leaving a company, they are also said to help deal with workplace bullying, harassment, excessive overtime, or managers who refuse to accept the decision to quit.
In a report published in The Guardian in October 2024, a young Japanese employee turned to Momuri after experiencing bullying, forced overtime, and workplace harassment. What else can one do if companies make resignation procedures difficult!
A report from a study conducted on this found that 40.7 percent of people who used resignation services said their employers tried, or would try, to stop them from resigning.
In addition, 32.4 percent said they were not able to communicate their decision to leave so easily. For them, a resignation service is not just a convenient alternative to an awkward conversation. It also provides a way to leave a workplace where saying, “I’m quitting” is not always easy.
Lawyer Akiko Osawa, who works for a law firm that advises people who are leaving their jobs, says, “In Japan, changing jobs is a major challenge that requires a great deal of courage.
Because Japan is facing a labor shortage, it is difficult to find and train replacement workers, and when someone resigns, it is not uncommon for employers and companies to explode in anger,” she says.
The cost is certain!
However, even if a smooth exit is guaranteed, you may still have to spend a lot on the services of such resignation agencies. Some may feel that this cost is better than a confrontation. For them, such companies are a relief. But being forced to empty your wallet along with the decision to lose your job will bring stress in another way.
Moreover, there are also some legal complications in approaching such companies. Such resignation agencies only notify the employer of the employee’s resignation. They do not discuss anything about pending salary or other benefits. Japanese civil law does not permit that either. Instead, under Section 627 of that civil law, contract workers are generally allowed to resign from their jobs by giving two weeks’ notice. After two weeks, a company or employer cannot refuse to accept the resignation.
Even with such problems, the demand for these resignation companies has been increasing year after year. Statistics show that Albatross, one of Japan’s leading companies, helps about 450 people leave their jobs each month without any conflict.
Leaving that aside, discussions have arisen about why quitting a job has become so difficult and why an employee needs professional help to do it.
Young workers want to test and develop their skills rather than get stuck in one company. That is why young workers are more eager to change jobs. However, companies and employers are not preparing with the same speed to deal with them with a modern mindset.
At its core, resignation is a conversation between two people. Social activists believe that the fact that an entire industry in Japan operates to avoid that conversation raises the question of how prepared society and companies are for the changing preferences of young people.