Agoda Launches New Travel Service: One-Way Trip Out the Door With NDA
Agoda launches the "Final Journey Package," a premium layoff experience featuring severance, disclaimers, and a free lesson in corporate psychology.
SINGAPORE — Agoda has unveiled its latest offering: a fully customisable employee exit experience, known internally as the “Final Journey Package.” The retrenchment bundle is said to include a pre-signed apology letter, a tightly worded non-disclosure agreement, and a handy Google Doc listing government agencies, unions, and lawyers to avoid making contact with.
“We’re always looking for ways to innovate in the travel space,” said Agoda’s spokesperson in a statement. “And what is retrenchment, really, if not a form of forced travel?”
The company confirmed that this initiative aligns with its broader mission to streamline operations.
According to a press release, the “Final Journey Package” gives employees “maximum flexibility in how they are let go,” provided their flexibility includes waiving their statutory rights and signing a non-disclosure agreement.
Employees can choose from a curated selection of exit templates, including:
“The Polite Exit”: Includes a thank-you note from HR, a $25 food delivery voucher, and a clause reminding you that MOM would really prefer not to hear from you.
“The Silent Treatment”: Comes with a severance cheque in an envelope marked “CONFIDENTIAL – OR ELSE.”
Agoda’s Director of Employee Experience, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained, “We wanted to create a product that truly reflects our values. Mostly the value of not having to deal with tribunals.”
Leaked internal documents reveal that Agoda’s HR team A/B tested several versions of the clause that allegedly warns employees not to contact Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower or TAFEP.
The company’s HR spokesperson, said:
“At Agoda, we believe in transparency, which is why we clearly state in writing that you should tell absolutely no one about what just happened to you.”
Legal experts consulted by The Rambutan were clear: most of the “Final Journey Package” language would not survive five minutes in a courtroom. But that, insiders say, misses the point entirely.
“If people believe it’s enforceable, it doesn’t have to be enforceable,” said one Agoda HR representative. “It also depends on what country you’re in, and more importantly, whether you can afford a lawyer.”
Early reviews of the “Final Journey Package” have been mixed. One former employee described the experience as “polished,” but “deeply confusing.”
“HR told me the clause about not contacting authorities was just standard,” the ex-employee said. “Standard for who, I asked. They just smiled and gave me a printout of the company values.”
Another recalled being asked to confirm, in writing, that they had never experienced any discomfort, or disagreement during their tenure. “It was hard to sign with a straight face,” they admitted, “but I didn’t want to lose my three months’ severance.”
Agoda has since clarified that employees are “always encouraged to understand their rights,” preferably after signing everything.
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