Requesting time off and/or arrangements due to stress from coworker

Long story short, I’ve been dealing with a lot of stress coming specifically from one snotty coworker and her constant complaints. It feels like everything she says online is intended to make me feel bad rather than to obtain solutions for the company/customers. Noone else at this company acts like this. Ironically, she sounds perfectly normal when speaking in-person and seemed super nice during company dinners (she even shared her food with me).

One thing I should note though is that while I am basically an employee for this company, I am no longer employed directly through them, but through their vendor. I would prefer not to do anything that could hurt my direct employer (vendor) or its relation with the company.

I read here that it is possible to get time off from work by consulting with a mental health professional regarding job-related stress or mental health issues. Does anyone know the JP term for the type of professional I should consult with? Does anyone have any personal recommendations of one? And would they be able to recommend mobile work and/or switching team members despite my official employer?

Not related to the issue above, but I also wanted to ask about the re-entry visa. I recall the following:

*Your work visa states that you have 3 months to find a new job after quitting your previous job

*Your re-entry visa states that you can be outside of the country for up to 1 year before you must re-enter

These points seem to contradict each other, although I get the feeling the re-entry visa just “pauses” the work visa. Would it be possible to quit my job, visit family for several months, then re-enter Japan and job hunt? How does this work?

2 comments
  1. Not intending to come across as insensitive to your stress but why not just deal with the problematic coworker by telling her to knock it off or reporting her for harassing you?

  2. The “3 month” rule applies to those on work visas not actively engaging in their status of residency.

    However, on medical leave you’d still be down as employed. Just on unpaid leave. It’s like people on childcare leave for example…. They are still employed, just on unpaid leave. (The money received is paid by the government not your employer) And thus they are still actively engaging in their status of residency.

    Additionally, being unemployed but actively looking for work is also considered actively engaging in your status of residency too.

    So essentially the 3 month rule only applies to work visa holders who quit their job and then go traveling in, or traveling out of Japan for >3 months, but maintain residency in Japan.

    The 1 year special re-entry permit you refer to is for foreigners residing in Japan with a status of residency as registered residents on the basic resident register as per the ‘basic residue register act’.

    The reason why you nights think they contradict each other is that not all status of residency are tied to work. For example I’m on a spouse visa. As long as I’m married to my Japanese wife, and we both are registered residents of Japan… and at the same address, then I am considered actively engaging in my status of residency.

    For those on a spouse visa if their supporting spouse divorce or dies then the foreigner has 6 months.

    For student visa holders If they graduate/leave their education entity then they have literally 2 weeks (hence why they need to switch onto a Designated activities visa for job hunting)

    So if you manage to get the medical leave you’re after from your OP then you will be still employed by your employer, so “3 month rule won’t apply”. You will then get money from the government AS LONG AS YOU REMAIN a registered resident of Japan. And because you will remain a resident of Japan you can then get a 1 year special re-entry permit (free one at the airport) if you wish to depart from Japan for whatever xyz reasons for <1 year. But keep in mind you’d still be domiciled tied to Japan (for taxes etc) and if say you go back to your home country whilst in medical leave you can’t work there…. That would be fraud, because you’re getting paid by Japanese government for medical conditions making you unable to physically (or mentally) work.

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