◆What is self-destructive sales?
Self-destructive sales refer to the act of employees purchasing their own products with their own money in order to meet company sales targets or quotas. Typical examples are post office employees purchasing New Year’s postcards with their own money or convenience store employees purchasing unsold merchandise. This has become a problem in recent years as it leads to financial loss and emotional distress for employees.
It is not illegal for a company to set sales targets or quotas for its employees. However, depending on how they are achieved and the degree of coercion, various problems may arise under civil law and labor-related laws.
◆Problematic cases
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has also published a leaflet, “Labor-Related Legal Issues of Forcing Workers to Purchase Goods,” calling for attention to such self-destructive sales, etc.
The leaflet lists the following as problematic cases:
+The company used its position as an employer to force workers to purchase goods they did not need.
+The company asked workers to purchase the company’s products, but when they refused, the company took disciplinary action or dismissed them.
Other cases that require attention include:
+The company had set a sales quota for each employee, and had clearly indicated that failure to meet the quota would result in disadvantageous treatment in terms of personnel affairs.
+The company sets quotas that are practically unattainable, and takes adverse personnel actions if quotas are not achieved.
Self-destructive sales are an act that places a heavy burden on employees. To avoid excessive penalties and forced purchases, it is essential to make efforts to ensure that they are well known and managed.
