A few years ago, when they had to choose a name to introduce themselves to their clients, Shiori Kawamata’s company decided to go for clarity. They went with Momuri, which in Japanese means “I’m fed up!” or “I can’t do this anymore.” It’s not a classic brand, but it very accurately sums up what this Tokyo-based agency, which launched in 2022 and has gained a lot of popularity in recent years, does. Its mission is to help employees who want to leave their jobs and don’t know how to handle it.

He’s not the only one. In a country with a culture of hard work, where marathon days at the office are not uncommon and where there’s even a word for death by overwork (karoshi) managing turnover has become a growing business.

Tiring daysIt’s not one of the countries with the highest average annual working hours, according to OECD data, but grueling workdays are not uncommon in Japan. The AOTS estimated that in 2015, about 20 percent of workers aged 30 to 40 worked 49 to 59 hours a week, and 15 percent worked at least 60 hours; the group warns that this amounts to an extra four hours of work per day in practice, with workers returning home at night.

In a recent report, CNN cited specific cases of employees dying after working 159 hours of overtime a month, or even more than 200 hours, as happened to a young doctor from Kobe who took his own life two years ago.

Country: Japan karoshi. In Japan there is even a word for death from overwork. karoshiIt has been recognized since the late 1980s, leading to huge compensation payments and becoming a serious problem. In 2015, Japan’s Ministry of Labor counted 2,310 victims. Statista says the number of suicides over work-related problems in the country in the past two years has been much closer to 2,000 to 3,000, but there was a 3 percent drop last year.

A professional change. There are employees who decide to quit their jobs suddenly, whether because of overwork, disagreements with their bosses, or simply because they want to seek new horizons. It is not always easy. In a country with a strict work culture where patience and loyalty are always praised, sending a resignation letter can be a difficult task.

Until recently, it was also common in Japan for a worker to stay with the same company for their entire career. Although this trend has changed in recent years, in 2021 the average job tenure was still 12.3 years, rising to 21.2 in the electrical sector. These are much higher figures than those recorded in the United States, for example.

Resignation letters torn apartYuki Watanabe, a pseudonym for a 24-year-old Japanese man who recently spoke to CNN about his condition, explains that he decided to quit his job after a period of working from dawn to dusk when he felt physically ill. Watanabe said the problem was that his boss didn’t want him to reject his resignation and have to continue working longer.

He is not the only one. A company familiar with similar cases told the American network that he had encountered employees who had seen their bosses tear up their resignation letters three times. “Even when they bowed down to the ground, they did not let them resign.”

If you can’t… Ask for help. And if it comes from an experienced professional, even better. It seems that more and more Japanese people are doing this because they have decided to quit their job but don’t know how to handle it or don’t want to bother knocking on their boss’s door and handing them a signed letter.

One company that has found an attractive niche in this need is Momuri, a Tokyo-based agency founded in 2022 and backed by Albatross Co., which offers resignation management services. For 22,000 yen, 140 euros, the professionals are responsible for informing the company of the resignation, negotiating the worker’s departure and providing advice if difficulties arise. Part-time workers are paid 12,000 yen.

Is it a single company? No. Momuri may have gotten the most media attention, but she’s not alone. Kyodo News assures us that there are more than a hundred agencies offering similar services for rates ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 yen. Financial Times He cites several, all with names as evocative as Nomuri’s: Yametara Iinen (“It’s OK to Give Up”), Yamerun desu (“Let’s Give Up”) or Saraba (“Goodbye”). Their origins predate the pandemic, but the work seems to have gained popularity in the wake of the health crisis.

A promising business. Your data is certainly strange. Try to avoid conflicts, bad drinks, the stress of an uncomfortable conversation with a bossy boss, or the administrative headaches that can come with resigning; the truth is that businesses like Momuri have built a large client base. The company’s director, Shioro Kawamata, says they received about 11,000 inquiries last year. The Tokyo agency even offers a 50 percent discount to those who use its services for a second resignation.

The service is used by young workers who are getting their first job experience, as well as experienced employees. In fact, a few months ago, Momuri assured: Japan Times says 40% of its clients are professionals over the age of 40. In Europe, the existence of such businesses may be inconspicuous, but in Japan they have gained considerable fame. A survey by En Japan shows that 70% of respondents are aware of the existence of the institution.

Another keyword: gogatsubyō. Interestingly, Momuri seems to have its own “peak season” of activity: early May, when workers are supposed to finish their Ōgon Shūkan (Golden Week) vacation and return to their offices. Coinciding with gogatsubyō, a type of post-holiday depression called “May sickness,” the resignation agency has seen a staggering increase in applications. This year, there were over 150. And that was all in one day.

This flow is partly explained by the changes that Japanese society itself is experiencing, mired in a deep crisis of birth and aging, making it harder for companies to recruit a workforce and giving the youngest people the opportunity to consider changing if they are not happy with your job. This is what Hiroshi Ono, a professor at Hitotsubashi University, pointed out to CNN, who appreciates that there is a change in the mentality of the generations and that young people no longer hesitate to quit.

Image by Andrew Leu (Unsplash)

In Xataka | Japan needed to end its model of excessive work. The four-day workday was their hope, and it’s failing