In the context of Japanese corporate culture that values "trust" and "love", Toshiyuki Niino and Yuichiro Okazaki quickly realized the need of a large number of workers: support to overcome the psychological barrier when wanting to terminate their labor contracts. The idea of establishing Exit Company came from a remarkable fact that many Japanese people find it difficult to make the decision to quit their jobs, even if their current jobs bring a lot of pressure.
At 50,000 yen per transaction, Exit has created a unique business model that caters to a niche market. A service that costs 50,000 yen ($440) per transaction, tailored specifically to the workforce in need.
Yuta Sakamot hired a company to resign on his behalf because he was afraid his boss would stop him from moving to a new job.
Exit will act as an intermediary to handle all communication between the client and the company from which the client is resigning. After the first call, the client will prepare a resignation letter and give it to Exit to forward to the company. Exit will also receive the necessary documents from the company on behalf of the employee, such as rishokukyo (official resignation certificate) to receive subsidies from the government.
A cultural tradition that values stability and loyalty to a company makes it difficult for many Japanese people to make the decision to quit their jobs.
The service is gaining popularity as Japanese attitudes toward work have remained largely unchanged from the past, while demographic change is tightening the job market, making workers more likely to job-hop and employers desperate to retain staff.
“Many people working in Japanese companies believe that quitting is wrong or shameful, so they will disappoint everyone or be scolded by their boss if they choose to leave,” Okazaki said. “With that in mind, they keep doing bad jobs that they hate. They kept doing that until we came along.”
The stories Okazaki heard were filled with the pain and helplessness of the little people. They felt lonely, lost and did not know how to escape the current situation. Quitting their jobs, for them, was not only a personal decision but also a fight against social pressure. Being bullied, unpaid overtime hours became obsessions, making them not dare to make the decision to quit their jobs.
Stemming from the actual needs of workers, the service of "submitting" resignation applications was born and quickly became popular.
Most of Exit’s clients show a very high determination when they want to end their current job. They often share that they can’t wait any longer and want to leave immediately. Therefore, Exit often has to schedule a call to the client’s company the next day to inform them of their decision to quit.
Most clients have enough paid time off to cover the time. Others are happy to take unpaid time off just to get the process over with. Exit tells companies that the paperwork will be mailed.
This service not only helps workers save time but also ensures that procedures are carried out professionally and efficiently.
Despite being a pioneer in the resignation submission service industry, Exit still faces an undeniable reality: competition is getting fiercer. If other startups also jump into this market, Exit will face greater pressure to maintain its position.
They now process an average of 3,000 resignations a month, including people who have worked for decades at the same company or who are so stressed they want to commit suicide because they don’t know how to quit. “I want quitting to be seen as a positive thing. People can quit without hesitation,” Arno said.
