Boss such a tyrant you need a job quitting agent? It works in Japan
(2023/07/05)
- Reference: 1688545814
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/07/05/job_quitting_agents/
- Source link:
Certain tech bosses are notoriously temperamental – so much so that conflict-averse folks have been known to put in their notice while the execs are on leave. But some Japanese employees have taken this a step further – actually employing an agent to quit their job for them.
The idea is to extricate themselves from delicate scenarios where they feel bullied to stay on board or are otherwise unwilling to leave for fear of being accused of "betraying" the corporation.
In a country renowned for its ultra conservative culture and hierarchical structure, those in the workforce who jump between jobs can be perceived as quitters, with all the shameful connotations attached to that branding.
[1]
Step forward the taishoku daiko – or “job-leaving agents” – that emerged in recent times to aid those who simply cannot tell their boss they’re off to pastures new.
[2]
[3]
“Imagine a messy divorce,” said Yoshihito Hasegawa, the boss of TRK, a business based in Tokyo that in 2023 showed 13,000 people how to depart from their employer with the least amount of upset.
He told [4]Associated Press some Japanese workers are so constrained by cultural norms, they stick with an employer even when they're itching to leave, saying it is the “way things are done, the same way younger people are taught to honor older people… Quitting would be a betrayal.”
[5]
TRK’s Guardian service includes membership to a union for three months, which will represent the employee. This service costs $208.
Employees have the legal right to quit but a well engrained hierarchy in Japanese corporate culture means some bosses simply can’t stand by while underlings they trained head off to a new employer.
One customer that worked for a major tech client, Taku Yamazaki, used Guardian as he suspected quitting his organization was going to be complicated and time-consuming. “I felt a certain amount of gratitude toward the place I was leaving but wanted to switch gears mentally and move forward as fast as possible,” he said.
[6]
Moving jobs in Japan is a “major challenge,” according to lawyer Akiko Ozawa, who runs her own services for clients that are struggling to quit. Until this changes “the need for my job isn’t going away,” she said.
All of this is a world away for employees in other parts of the world, where the Great Resignation started in spring 2021 when people began resigning en masse in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest theme for workforce resignations is related to the work-from-office mandates being tossed around by many of the tech firms that, on the one hand, promote mobility as an option to keep staff productive, and on the other hand want to see bums on the official seats of work.
A recent study indicates that businesses [7]lost more employees when they forced a change in WFH policy , paying the price for the change in set-up.
[8]WFH mandates bad for staff morale and stunt innovation
[9]Three quarters of UK tech pros are ready to leave their jobs
[10]Results are in for biggest 4-day work week trial ever: 92% sticking with it
[11]Amazon mandates return to office for 300,000 corporate staff
The age of [12]quiet quitters also emerged as a term among younger professionals in the West last year as the soaring cost of living was compounded by stagnating wages.
According to research by recruitment agency Robert Walters, half of people it surveyed under 30 said they’d do the bare minimum if a pay rise or promotion was not forthcoming. The irony is that in taking this approach, the quiet quitters are unlikely to achieve the pay rises and promotions they so desire.
Have any of you ever needed to hire the services of someone to write your resignation letter or to represent you when merely moving on to pastures new? Has your boss ever told you that you live in Hotel California, where you can check out but never truly leave?
Relay your tales in the comments section below. ®
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[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZKU-QrGGH111dap-7RC4xQAAA8g&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZKU-QrGGH111dap-7RC4xQAAA8g&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZKU-QrGGH111dap-7RC4xQAAA8g&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3226368/japans-job-leaving-agents-help-worn-out-workers-escape-bullying-mini-hitler-bosses-quitting-would-be?utm_source=feedly_feed
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZKU-QrGGH111dap-7RC4xQAAA8g&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZKU-QrGGH111dap-7RC4xQAAA8g&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/29/wfh_rto_survey/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/12/wfh_mandates_bad_for_staff/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/11/three_quarters_of_uk_tech/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/21/4_day_work_week/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/20/amazon_mandates_return_to_office/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/29/wfh_rto_survey/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The idea is to extricate themselves from delicate scenarios where they feel bullied to stay on board or are otherwise unwilling to leave for fear of being accused of "betraying" the corporation.
In a country renowned for its ultra conservative culture and hierarchical structure, those in the workforce who jump between jobs can be perceived as quitters, with all the shameful connotations attached to that branding.
[1]
Step forward the taishoku daiko – or “job-leaving agents” – that emerged in recent times to aid those who simply cannot tell their boss they’re off to pastures new.
[2]
[3]
“Imagine a messy divorce,” said Yoshihito Hasegawa, the boss of TRK, a business based in Tokyo that in 2023 showed 13,000 people how to depart from their employer with the least amount of upset.
He told [4]Associated Press some Japanese workers are so constrained by cultural norms, they stick with an employer even when they're itching to leave, saying it is the “way things are done, the same way younger people are taught to honor older people… Quitting would be a betrayal.”
[5]
TRK’s Guardian service includes membership to a union for three months, which will represent the employee. This service costs $208.
Employees have the legal right to quit but a well engrained hierarchy in Japanese corporate culture means some bosses simply can’t stand by while underlings they trained head off to a new employer.
One customer that worked for a major tech client, Taku Yamazaki, used Guardian as he suspected quitting his organization was going to be complicated and time-consuming. “I felt a certain amount of gratitude toward the place I was leaving but wanted to switch gears mentally and move forward as fast as possible,” he said.
[6]
Moving jobs in Japan is a “major challenge,” according to lawyer Akiko Ozawa, who runs her own services for clients that are struggling to quit. Until this changes “the need for my job isn’t going away,” she said.
All of this is a world away for employees in other parts of the world, where the Great Resignation started in spring 2021 when people began resigning en masse in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest theme for workforce resignations is related to the work-from-office mandates being tossed around by many of the tech firms that, on the one hand, promote mobility as an option to keep staff productive, and on the other hand want to see bums on the official seats of work.
A recent study indicates that businesses [7]lost more employees when they forced a change in WFH policy , paying the price for the change in set-up.
[8]WFH mandates bad for staff morale and stunt innovation
[9]Three quarters of UK tech pros are ready to leave their jobs
[10]Results are in for biggest 4-day work week trial ever: 92% sticking with it
[11]Amazon mandates return to office for 300,000 corporate staff
The age of [12]quiet quitters also emerged as a term among younger professionals in the West last year as the soaring cost of living was compounded by stagnating wages.
According to research by recruitment agency Robert Walters, half of people it surveyed under 30 said they’d do the bare minimum if a pay rise or promotion was not forthcoming. The irony is that in taking this approach, the quiet quitters are unlikely to achieve the pay rises and promotions they so desire.
Have any of you ever needed to hire the services of someone to write your resignation letter or to represent you when merely moving on to pastures new? Has your boss ever told you that you live in Hotel California, where you can check out but never truly leave?
Relay your tales in the comments section below. ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZKU-QrGGH111dap-7RC4xQAAA8g&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZKU-QrGGH111dap-7RC4xQAAA8g&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZKU-QrGGH111dap-7RC4xQAAA8g&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3226368/japans-job-leaving-agents-help-worn-out-workers-escape-bullying-mini-hitler-bosses-quitting-would-be?utm_source=feedly_feed
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZKU-QrGGH111dap-7RC4xQAAA8g&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZKU-QrGGH111dap-7RC4xQAAA8g&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/29/wfh_rto_survey/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/12/wfh_mandates_bad_for_staff/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/11/three_quarters_of_uk_tech/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/21/4_day_work_week/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/20/amazon_mandates_return_to_office/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/29/wfh_rto_survey/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Doctor Syntax
It would be very easy to see this combined with a job search/recruitment agency.
The opposite!
DJV
Although I've had no problem leaving companies before when I needed to, it was being made redundant four times during my working life that seemed to indicate to me that life was trying to tell me something!
After the 4th time at the age of 50, I went fully self-employed and I've had work thrown at me ever since. Although I am now in receipt of the (rather pitiful) UK state pension I am still working and have no intention of stopping while I am still enjoying it.
breakfast
"The irony is that in taking this approach, the quiet quitters are unlikely to achieve the pay rises and promotions they so desire." I don't know if our reporter here has had many jobs, but I can guarantee that working extra hours will almost never earn you a pay rise or promotion either, but now you've wasted half your life working extra hard for no benefit.
If you're working outside the hours you're paid for then you're doing your job as a hobby.
Not a fan of burning bridges
So when I've left companies I've always left on good terms; which worked out well as I got invited back to a couple of them as a higher paid contractor to do upgrades to software I'd formerly written as an employee.