[True Story] I filed an objection to my voluntary resignation. The story of how I silenced a labor and social security attorney and triggered a formal investigation by Hello Work (Sequel)
In my previous article, I wrote about how I filed an objection with Hello Work requesting a change from 'voluntary resignation' to 'company-initiated resignation' (specified recipient of unemployment benefits).
This is the sequel to that story.
Entering this week, I believe Hello Work has begun a full-scale investigation behind the scenes. I will now deliver the real behind-the-scenes look at the thrilling skirmish with the opposing labor and social security attorney yesterday and today, as well as the currently ongoing 'official investigation'.
Let me state the conclusion first. As a result of cornering them with adult logic, the opposing labor and social security attorney went completely silent.
1. The inquiry from the opposing labor and social security attorney and the 'perfect move' I unleashed
After my objection was accepted, I received an email from the labor and social security attorney acting as the agent for my former employer, clearly trying to probe for information.
'We understand you wish to confirm the company's intentions by July 15th, but would it be a problem if we respond when we receive an inquiry from Hello Work? If the company responds in advance, it may complicate the situation. Also, please let us know the purpose of this communication.'
In short, this was an obvious attempt at intimidation, 'Before Hello Work comes directly at the company, we want to probe how much evidence you have and what you are demanding so we can set up a defensive line.'
If I had vented my emotional anger here, I would have lost. I sent a reply packed 100% with adult composure and rationality as follows.
'The purpose of my contacting you this time is not to make any demands on the company, but because I wanted to ensure that when Hello Work conducts a fact-check, you are accurately aware of the actual circumstances at the time and provide a response based on the facts. As for the reason for my resignation, I believe it is a matter that should be appropriately judged by Hello Work, so I would prefer that we proceed primarily through fact-checking between Hello Work and the company.'
The moment I sent this email, the email exchange stopped. The labor and social security attorney went completely silent.
While appearing to agree to 'proceed via Hello Work,' in reality, I had driven in a powerful stake, saying, 'I have no intention of negotiating with the company. I am simply going to have your misconduct exposed to the light of day and judged in the public arena of Hello Work. Do you know what happens if you report lies? (I will file a request for review with the Employment Insurance Examiner at the Labor Bureau).'
By now, the management of my former employer, the parent company's executives, and the opposing labor and social security attorney must be holding their heads in a panic.
2. The July 16th Hello Work rematch. Further 'pursuit trajectory'
Currently, Hello Work is in the stage of conducting an 'official investigation (hearing)' with my former employer. The other side might be overconfident, thinking, 'If Hello Work contacts us, we'll just insist it was a voluntary resignation and get away with it.'
However, I am heading to the Hello Work counter on the 16th for vocational training procedures.
At that time, without asking for permission in advance, I will implement a strategy to slip in my completed 'additional statement memo' as a fait accompli at the counter.
Government offices are creatures that will refuse you if you ask 'May I submit this?' in advance due to manual-based responses, but it is procedurally difficult to reject documents placed right in front of them.
The 'second bomb' I will deploy there is this.
The 'episode of leaving legal checks entirely to AI' that bares its fangs
The decisive factor in my decision to resign—calling out the company's 'breach of duty of safety' at the time.
When the director who handled legal affairs professionally resigned, they unilaterally dumped all company-wide legal checks on me, who had no legal background, without any handover or backup system. The management only gave irresponsible instructions like 'Just have AI check it' or 'We'll take a look at it anyway.'
The immense pressure of being forced to shoulder high-level legal risks outside my expertise alone. I am having the fact of this deteriorating system, which ignored corporate governance, added to the Hello Work investigation file as a chronological memo.
Hello Work is now questioning my former employer from an unexpected angle: 'Is it true that after the director left, you dumped all company-wide legal work on someone with instructions to 'just use AI'?' With this, the former employer's defense line has completely collapsed, and they are checkmated.
3. The past spent drinking muddy water turns into the strongest weapon for a salary increase
In parallel with this objection, I am currently putting all my effort into job hunting.
Surprisingly, the incredibly unreasonable episode of being forced to 'dump legal work on AI' that I was subjected to at my previous job is now turning into the strongest weapon in the market.
The current battle situation I have in hand is as follows.
Major liquor wholesaler (Prime-listed group): In the first interview, I injected my career so far and the story of 'labor affairs that are close to the field,' and the response was excellent.
Major weather company (TSE Prime, annual salary up to 9 million yen): Document screening has started. Against their demand for 'building next-generation operations using AI, etc.,' I am using my 'hands-on experience in introducing AI contract review' from my previous job as a track record to launch an offensive.
Foreign-affiliated delivery venture : A sharp venture with an annual salary of up to 8 million yen. Recommendation submission completed.
Major electronics company : Major infrastructure. Application documents received.
Long-established industrial waste company : From a super-white infrastructure company with 127 annual holidays and less than 10 hours of overtime, I have passed the document screening and received an interview offer.
I am converting the irresponsible words 'Just let AI do it' uttered by the petty management of my previous job into a track record, and positioning myself as a pioneer who realistically succeeded in implementing AI for back-office operations.
I am not letting an unreasonable environment end as just a complaint; I am turning it into evidence to win a company-initiated resignation at a public institution (for Hello Work), and sublimating it into a track record (for job hunting) to skyrocket my salary at the next company. This is true adult revenge.
Conclusion: On the last day of my 30s, the board was flipped
Before I knew it, my 30s were coming to an end.
Just a few days ago, the situation where I was worrying about 'what to do from tomorrow' in a shitty environment with collapsed governance feels like a lie; now I am standing on the side of 'being the one to judge and choose from super-major, Prime-listed, and long-established companies while firmly holding the right to unemployment insurance for company-initiated resignation'.
There is no need to quit like you are running away. If you collect the right evidence and fight with logic as your weapon, workers can flip the board this much.
The follow-up at Hello Work on the 16th, and the interview rush that starts from here. The first year of my 40s, the real battle starts now.