Yuki Watanabe used to spend twelve hours a day at the office, which was considered a short workday. The standard work schedule was from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and she rarely left before 11 p.m. In her career, she had worked for some of Japan’s largest e-payments and telecom companies.
The pressures of work became so intense that Watanabe began to suffer from health problems, including shaky legs and stomach issues. Fearing for her future job prospects, she spoke to CNN under a pseudonym. Although she knew she needed to quit, she faced a significant obstacle: Japan’s notoriously hierarchical work culture.
Requesting time off or leaving work early is already challenging, but resigning is even harder. In Japan, one of the world’s largest economies, quitting is seen as a serious offense, as employees often stay with the same company for decades, or even their entire careers. In extreme cases, aggressive managers may tear up resignation letters and pressure employees into staying.
Watanabe expressed that her former supervisor’s constant disregard for her made her feel unhappy at her previous job, but she was afraid to quit. In a recent interview with CNN, she mentioned her concern that her ex-employer might reject her resignation and force her to stay longer. Despite this, she eventually found a way out by seeking help from Momuri, a resignation agency that supports hesitant employees in escaping from overbearing managers.
Many Japanese workers turn to proxy firms to help them resign without stress, often for a fee comparable to a nice dinner. Although this industry existed before Covid, human resources experts say its popularity surged after the pandemic, as extended periods of remote work led even Japan’s most loyal employees to reconsider their careers. While the exact number of resignation agencies across the country is unofficial, those running these services confirm that demand has significantly increased.
As younger workers gain more influence in the workplace, they increasingly prefer to resign without directly confronting their managers, leading to a rise in workplace-related mental stress.
Momuri is offering a 50% discount to clients who need to resign a second time.