You have already told your manager you are sick, but your doctor expects you to need more time away. Ask HR how your workplace handles 休職 (an extended leave from work), which documents it needs, how your absence and pay will be recorded, and how you will discuss a return. The company’s leave rules and the health insurer’s 傷病手当金 are separate matters.
Japanese words in the leave process
| Japanese | Reading | What it means or prompts you to check |
|---|---|---|
| 欠勤 | けっきん (kekkin) | Absence from a scheduled workday |
| 病気休暇 | びょうききゅうか (byōki kyūka) | Sick leave, if your workplace provides it; check pay and rules |
| 休職・休職期間 | きゅうしょく・きゅうしょくきかん (kyūshoku / kyūshoku kikan) | Leave of absence / its specified period under workplace rules |
| 就業規則 | しゅうぎょうきそく (shūgyō kisoku) | Workplace rules; find the relevant leave and return sections |
| 診断書 | しんだんしょ (shindansho) | Doctor’s certificate; ask what information and dates are needed |
| 有給休暇・残日数 | ゆうきゅうきゅうか・ざんにっすう (yūkyū kyūka / zannissū) | Annual paid leave / remaining days |
| 無給 | むきゅう (mukyū) | Unpaid; confirm the dates and payroll treatment |
| 傷病手当金 | しょうびょうてあてきん (shōbyō teatekin) | Health-insurance income benefit for eligible non-work-related illness or injury |
| 復職・産業医 | ふくしょく・さんぎょうい (fukushoku / sangyōi) | Return to work / occupational physician |
What to ask HR after the initial absence notice
- Give the immediate notice first. Follow your team’s absence contact rule for today’s shift. Our absence and lateness guide has short phrases. If the outlook becomes longer, tell HR you need the process for continuing leave; you do not need to guess a return date your clinician has not given.
- Ask for the applicable rule and form. Confirm when a short absence is treated as 休職, whether 病気休暇 or annual paid leave is relevant, whether a doctor’s certificate is required, and who receives it. The length and pay treatment of company leave differ by workplace. Ask how to communicate updates and what will appear on your payslip.
- Ask the doctor for the right document. Tell the clinic which dates and work-related points HR needs. A 診断書 for the company and a medical provider’s part of an insurer’s benefit application are not necessarily the same paperwork. Share medical information through the channel HR specifies.
- Check your insurer and benefit route. If you are enrolled as an employee in 協会けんぽ, its official 傷病手当金 guidance lists conditions for a non-work-related illness or injury, inability to work, a three-day consecutive waiting period, and pay during the absence. Other health insurers can have their own forms and instructions. Ask HR or the insurer how the employer and medical provider sections are completed. This benefit is not automatically granted just because the company approved 休職.
Messages you can use
- 医師から、しばらく勤務を控えるよう言われています。休職の手続きと必要書類を教えていただけますか。
My doctor has advised me to refrain from working for a while. Could you tell me the leave procedure and required documents? - 診断書には、どの期間と情報を記載してもらえばよいでしょうか。
Which dates and information should the doctor include in the certificate? - 休職中の給与と社会保険料の扱い、傷病手当金の申請方法を確認したいです。
I would like to check how pay and social-insurance premiums are handled during leave and how to apply for sickness allowance. - 復職の見通しが分かり次第、改めてご連絡します。
I will update you when I know more about my possible return.
Returning to work and important differences
Before returning, ask HR what notice, medical opinion, meeting or workplace assessment its rules require. MHLW’s return-to-work Q&A describes a case where the worker usually submits a doctor’s certificate with the request to return, while workplace rules and the circumstances matter. Discuss possible adjustments with HR and the relevant clinician; do not assume that one doctor’s note alone completes every company’s process.
協会けんぽ’s 傷病手当金 guidance concerns non-work-related illness or injury. If an injury occurred at work or while commuting, tell the employer what happened and ask about the separate workers’ compensation route. Benefit eligibility, payment amounts and duration depend on your insurer and individual facts; use its current instructions rather than a generic estimate. If the situation is urgent medically, seek appropriate medical care first.
