Bandai Namco has reportedly turned to the unspoken Japanese tradition of layoff-by-boredom by stuffing unwanted employees into oidashi beya, or “expulsion rooms.”
Employees banished reassigned to oidashi beya are left to do nothing, or given menial tasks at best. According to Bloomberg’s unnamed insider sources, Bandai Namco has moved around 200 of its 1,300 person team to these rooms in recent months.
The goal of sticking someone in an expulsion room is to literally bore or shame them into quitting, and Bloomberg’s sources claim it has worked on around half the people Bandai Namco has stuck in there so far.
Ever since I watched Silicon Valley I’ved dreamed of being oidashi beya’d.
Like, you’re just gonna give me zero work and a room to nap in for 8 hours along with a salary?
Fucking sold man. Let me live that Bighead life, dude is a nihilist spirit animal.
I actually heard a story (friend of a friend but whatever) where their American friend got oidashi beya’d and loved it so eventually the company did release him. I think it’s such an interesting cultural difference when japan and us work culture, in many ways similar has this huge difference.
I wonder if it’s more effective because of the mandatory after-work hangouts? I suppose if i were the work pariah that part would suck
Eh even with being allowed to do things, it still sucks after a while. My job is seasonal with half the year being insanely busy and other half has practically nothing to do after work dries up. Luckily the bosses are chill about it, just show up and “pretend” to be busy and you can watch TV on your phone while “cleaning” the same tools or trays etc over and over. It’s nice for a few weeks after the demanding busy season ends, but even with being allowed to listen to music or watch stuff on your phone, take extra breaks, chat with people as much as you want, it still gets old having to be at work 40 hours a week with nothing truly productive to do.
That’s with good bosses that want to keep the workers happy, doing tedious mind numbing work for bosses that are trying to get you to quit sounds like hell. No thank you.
Same at my job. Busy half the year, dead the other half. I also have great bosses who understand we can’t help it if there’s no work to do.
It’d be pretty horrible being given nothing to do and knowing it’s because they want you to quit. That’s not a good environment for anyone. Eventually showing up out if spite will wear on you. What a shitty practice. I’m glad their being called out for it.
I think they would just make it extra shitty. Nothing to do plus normal workplace rules: no sleeping, no private conversations or electronic devices, nothing not work related on the computer. Enjoy doing nothing nothing, where anything remotely resembling a mental escape is not allowed.
Yeah, I was in a similar position earlier this year. I barely made it a month. It’s soul sucking, especially for someone like myself (I work in IT) who’s used to staying active and engaged with my job. Felt like just waiting for time to pass so I could drive home. The fact that they made me drive to an office just to do nothing was like adding insult to injury.
Says them. What are they going to do, fire me?