Neo Corporation, a company in Japan, is facing a lot of anger from the public after reports came out about how badly it treats its workers who don’t meet sales targets. This company, based in Osaka, sells and installs electrical and energy-saving products. It has nine branches in Japan and promises high salaries in its job ads.

According to the company, in 2024, sales staff earned an average of $97,000 (about ₹83 lakh) a year. It also says that over half of its salespeople make around $69,500 (about ₹60 lakh) a year. But people on social media were shocked to learn how the company allegedly punished staff. Former employees said that if someone did not meet their sales goals, they were forced to take nude photos. The boss also allegedly sexually abused them by touching their private parts. This information was reported by the South China Morning Post.

In March, five former workers filed a lawsuit against Neo Corporation. They said the company treated them very badly, using verbal abuse and harassment. One worker said that if someone didn’t make a sale, the manager forced them to take nude photos and then shared these photos with others to embarrass them. Another worker shared that his boss would painfully grab his private parts as a punishment. When he complained, the manager just laughed and said it happens to everyone. This worker later suffered from depression.

Reports also say that workers were shouted at, forced to work extra hours without pay, and even slapped by senior staff. The company also took away sales commissions unfairly and sometimes forced employees to return money on their payday. There were also huge fines for small mistakes, like traffic violations, with some fines going up to $42,000 (₹36 lakh). The five ex-workers who filed the lawsuit in March are asking for $132,000 (₹1.13 crore) as compensation for mental stress and illegal salary cuts.

This news has shocked many people and raised big concerns about worker abuse in Japanese companies. One person said this was “more than workplace harassment.” Another said that asking for and sharing private photos is a crime. Someone else commented, “We thought TV dramas were exaggerated, but this reality is even scarier.”

Company’s response

Neo Corporation denied all these claims. The company said they do not allow any kind of harassment and that the reports were wrong and only showed one side of the story, according to the South China Morning Post.