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.
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