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TOKYO — “They deleted all necessary data upon leaving” or “sent a farewell email filled with sarcasm” are some of the troubling situations experienced by about 10% of workers in Japan when their bosses or colleagues have left their jobs, according to a survey conducted by the Tokyo-based management consulting firm Scholar Consult Co.
This retaliatory behavior when leaving a job is known as “revenge quitting.” With job switching becoming less of a hurdle than before, what is happening in workplaces today?
“We wanted to understand how frequently revenge quitting occurs, so we decided to investigate the reality,” said Scholar Consult President Asaho Minohara, explaining the motivation behind the survey.
Her company conducted the online questionnaire in May about attitudes toward working and changing jobs and gathered valid responses from 2,106 people, both general employees and managers, working in companies with at least 100 employees nationwide.
What issues arise when colleagues resign?
When asked in a multiple-choice format about “problems or unpleasant situations experienced when superiors, colleagues or subordinates resigned,” with multiple answers allowed, the most common response was “It was hard because our team members had to take on the work of the person who quit, making us busy,” chosen by 29.0% of respondents.
Scholar Consult Co. President Asaho Minohara is seen in this photo provided by the company.
On the other hand, 11.8% selected at least one of the following three options that qualify as revenge quitting: “engaged in retaliatory actions against the workplace (e.g., quitting without a handover, leaving during busy periods and exposing internal information),” “deleted work-related data before leaving,” or, “sent complaints or insults via mass emails or chats before leaving.”
A closer look at the free-answer section revealed vivid examples of workplace chaos following revenge quitting. These included: “A subordinate resigned, and all necessary data was deleted. The memory of the computer they used was removed,” “The person scattered documents everywhere and then became unreachable before resigning, making cleanup and handovers incredibly difficult,” “A former employee accused us of harassment that never happened,” and, “A farewell email filled with sarcasm was sent.”
Venting frustrations? Could impact careers
Why do some individuals resort to such retaliatory actions upon leaving?
Minohara identified several reasons employees might harbor dissatisfaction with their workplace: the job differs from their expectations; they are assigned tasks they dislike; or they receive low evaluations from their superiors.
However, Minohara noted, “Cases that escalate to resignation or retaliatory actions are not very common. If good interpersonal relationships exist where employees can consult about their grievances and worries, they might be able to view themselves a bit more objectively and perceive facts from different angles.”
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Conversely, she pointed out, “If employees feel they are not being treated fairly or respected by their superiors and peers, continued exposure to such an environment can cause dissatisfaction to explode, increasing the likelihood of retaliatory actions.”
Minohara warned about the consequences of revenge quitting, saying, “The affected party may talk about it to others, potentially impacting the individual’s future career. While it might provide temporary satisfaction, it doesn’t contribute to personal growth.”
Major act of misconduct in the West
In Western countries, where job-hopping is more common, there was a notable incident of remarkable misconduct that garnered attention.
In 2010, a flight attendant of a U.S. low-cost carrier made headlines when he lost his temper after a passenger ignored his instructions. He sarcastically announced over the intercom, “Those of you who have shown dignity and respect these last 20 years, thanks for a great ride,” and after landing, deployed the emergency evacuation slide to exit the aircraft.
According to the BBC, the man was arrested on suspicion of property damage among other allegations and was ordered by the court to pay the airline $10,000 (currently around 1.47 million yen) for the replacement cost of the emergency chute.
In Japan as well, malicious acts can lead to punishment or claims for damages. It is essential to remember the saying, “It’s an ill bird that fouls its own nest.”
(Japanese original by Tamami Kawakami, Digital News Group)
AloJapan.com