Anyone who’s had a bad job has fantasized about screaming “I quit!” before storming out of the office.

But quitting, in reality, can be an anxiety-producing process filled with uncomfortable interactions. In Japan, some workers even report facing harassment when trying to quit, or being told they can’t resign.

For workers who just can’t cope, resignation agencies that promise to make quitting more painless have emerged, per The Wall Street Journal:

• Exit quits on behalf of 10k+ clients a year for ~$140 and offers 50% off for repeat customers.
• Mo Muri — which means “I can’t do this anymore” in Japanese — has received ~11k inquiries from clients in the last year. The firm charges ~$150 to help full-time workers quit their jobs and negotiate with employers.

With so much demand, an industry is emerging, and companies like Albatross, which offers an “I can’t do it anymore” service, and Yametara Eenen — “Why don’t you quit?” in Japanese — are promising to break employees free.

Group work

Quitting isn’t the only unpleasant corporate task that employees are looking to offload.

Workers are finding creative ways to call in backup:

• “Shadow stand-ins” are being employed by workers who are secretly outsourcing parts — or all — of their jobs.
• More employees are calling in AI: Microsoft’s 2024 Work Trend Index found that 78% of AI users are bringing their own AI tools to work (BYOAI) without instruction from their employers.
• One in four Gen Zers said they’ve brought a parent to a job interview, and one quarter have had their parents apply to a job on their behalf, according to a ResumeTemplates.com survey of ~1.5k people.

People are even outsourcing their motivational LinkedIn posts, with PR and ghostwriting services focused on the professional platform gaining popularity.

And, of course, the final frontier of workplace outsourcing: sending your AI avatar to a Zoom meeting in your place.