TOKYO, June 13 — It’s not always easy to leave a company, especially in a country where professional relations are as coded as they are in Japan.
Some Japanese employees worry about the repercussions this might have on their career, and turn to the services of “resignation” experts to help them through the process.
Exit has made this kind of resignation assistance its specialty.
This Japanese startup came into being in 2017 after one of its co-founders, Toshiyuki Niino, found it difficult to leave his previous job. He told Al Jazeera that his manager had then tried to make him reconsider his decision, by making him feel guilty. It’s a tactic used by many employers at a time when workers are increasingly distancing themselves from their jobs.
Japan has not been spared this phenomenon of employee disengagement, better known as quiet quitting. Several reports indicate that the country’s workers are placing greater importance on their personal well-being than their elders. There is no longer any question of working long hours without rest, and running the risk of dying of overwork — “karoshi” in Japanese.
Japanese employees are rebalancing their expectations between what they give and what they receive from their company. But this doesn’t make them any more fulfilled or motivated: only 56 per cent of them say they are invested in their job, according to the daily newspaper, Nikkei, citing a report from Korn Ferry dating from 2020-2021.
From quitting to seeking work abroad
More and more Japanese workers want to quit their jobs, even if it’s still frowned upon in a country that values lifelong loyalty to companies.
The under-30s are more inclined than their elders to take the plunge, although they often have qualms about doing so out of fear of their boss, as Toshiyuki Niino told Al Jazeera.
The Exit startup assists resigning employees by informing their superiors, on their behalf, of their desire to change jobs. The service costs 20,000 yen (around RM660), according to Al Jazeera.
The startup has been a great success, receiving thousands of requests every year. This should encourage other Japanese startups to enter this promising niche market, which reflects a growing trend among Japanese workers to rethink their relationship with employment.
While some do so by resigning, others move abroad to improve their salary and working conditions. In recent months, the Indeed platform has recorded a record number of searches by Japanese people looking for jobs abroad, according to The Economist.
In addition, applications for working vacation visas in Australia have more than doubled in 2022 compared to previous years. This trend is worrying Japanese companies, who are already facing labour shortages due to the ageing of the local population. — ETX Studio