Banishment rooms

Japanese companies have severe restrictions in firing their employees, even if the company is in dire financial situations. So what are they doing to avoid penalties that come with downsizing?

Banishment rooms.

Basically, banishment rooms are departments where companies transfer surplus employees and give them menial or useless tasks or even nothing to do until they become depressed or disheartened enough to quit on their own, thus not getting full benefits, unlike if they were actually let go.

For more details, see here. Originally found at Marginal Revolution.