Why League of Legends developer Riot Games is paying new employees to quit

League of Legends developer Riot Games is offering new hires cash to quit with the new program it rolled out this week called Queue Dodge, the company announced today.

The company is giving recently hired employees an attractive way out in an effort to maintain Riot's "unique" culture. Riot states that while it has a rigorous interview process in place, it is not enough to "ensure a great fit every single time." The company would rather resolve workplace clashes faster with Queue Dodge than let mismatches fester.

Queue Dodge offers new employees to depart at anytime during their first 60 days, where they will be compensated 10 percent of their annual salary. The program pays up to $25,000 and currently only extends to new hires in North America.

"Now, we don't want to actively push people out or dare them to leave, but we do want to provide a well-lit, safe exit path," the announcement states.

"We operate on a foundation of shared mission, values, passion, trust, and mutual respect. If someone gags on the unique flavor of our culture, they'd be doing themselves and the company a disservice to hang on just for the paycheck," it reads. "Culturally aligned people and teams are more effective, and alignment around mission and values allows us to better serve players. We've designed Queue Dodge to help self-identified mismatches move on in an open, positive, and constructive way."

According to the announcement, the program is inspired by an initiative that online shoe and clothing shop Zappos rolled out in 2009, where employees were paid $2,000 to quit. "We want to make sure that [people] are here for more than just a paycheck. We want people that believe in our long term vision and want to be a part of our culture," Riot quotes Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh as saying.