Things You Should Know When Quitting a Job in Japan

This article explains how foreigners who work in Japan should proceed with their resignation.

Some foreigners working in Japan may be considering resigning to return to their home country or find a new job.
However, unknowledge of the rules regarding resignation in Japan sometimes may lead to problems.

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The Resignation Announcement Procedures

In Japan, generally, you need to notify your boss of your desire to resign and submit a "notice of resignation (taishoku-todoke)".

It is not recommended just submitting a notice of resignation without a word, or to suddenly stop working at the company.

This may cause inconvenience to other employees, and there are also formalities for resignation that are required by the company.
 
The following is a description of the process for announcing your resignation.

Check the contract term and company rules

Once you have decided to resign, make sure you know when you have to notify the company of your resignation.
Japanese law determines when you need to communicate your resignation depending on the term of your employment contract.

If the contract has no fixed term

If there is no set contract period, the law requires you to inform the company at least two weeks before your resignation date.
 
Most companies, however, have their own rules about resignation.
Read the work rules carefully to see when you need to notify them.
Many companies state that you should inform them two to three months prior to your date of resignation.
 
However, there are times when you may suddenly need to return to your home country.
If this happens, consult with your supervisor about your resignation as soon as possible.

If the contract has a fixed term

Under Japanese law, unless there are unavoidable circumstances, you cannot resign until the end of your contract period.
However, when the contract exceeds one year, the employee may resign.
For more information, carefully review your employment contract and work regulations.
 
 （Source：厚生労働省「知って役立つ労働法～働くときに必要な基礎知識～」P53）

Notify your supervisor

Next, inform your supervisor about your resignation.
Notify your supervisor personally, not by e-mail or phone call.
 
When your supervisor is not busy,
"May I have a few minutes of your time to talk with you?
and ask for time to talk about your resignation.
 
When speaking with your supervisor, it is advisable to prepare the following points;

• I want to resign from my job.
• Reason for leaving
• The date you plan to resign
• How you intend to take over your duties to another employee

There are also some things to keep in mind when talking about resignation reasons.
Those are when you are resigning because of your workplace or human relations.
Try to avoid telling your supervisor or co-workers straight away, as this may damage your relationship with them.

Submit a Taishoku todoke

Once you have informed your supervisor and officially decided to resign, submit a "Taishoku todoke(退職届)", which means notice of resignation.
The document is a written notification that you are officially resigning.
If your company has a predetermined format, fill out the form accordingly and submit it to your supervisor.

Take over your job

Before you leave the company, make sure to hand over your duties and any remaining work to other employees.
It is important to ensure that you hand over your work to your co-workers so that they will not have any problems in the future.
 
[The handover process]

Organize your duties

Organize in as much detail as possible what kind of work you were doing.
It is also recommended to make a list. It will give you a quick overview of what kind of work is involved.

Create a manual

It is a good idea to prepare a manual of your duties so that your successor can check it after you leave.

Provide your successor a description of your duties.

Make time to instruct your successor about your duties.
If there is a lot of work to be done, it is better to break it up into several sessions than to tell everything all at once.
It will be easier to explain if you use the manual you have prepared to convey the information.

Return goods provided by the company.

You may have received some materials provided by the company when you were hired.
 
For example,

• Employee ID Card
• Office key, Security Card
• Uniform
• Personal Computer
• Mobile Phone
  etc. 

In addition, if there are any other important document-related items, make sure to give them to your successor.
Document-related items should never be taken out of the company, as they may contain some company's confidential information.

Send grateful messages

When retiring, it is also important to properly extend a greeting to those who have helped you during your time with the company.
Express your gratitude to those who have been helping you, such as those who have been instructing you on your duties and those you have consulted with.

It is better to greet them directly in person, but if you are not able to meet them, an e-mail is not rude either.
It is important to express your feelings sincerely.

Finally

In Japan, there is a Japanese expression, "立つ鳥跡を濁さず- Tatsu-tori-ato-wo-nigosazu" ("Don't muddy the traces of a standing bird").

This is a Japanese proverb that means, "When you leave, you should leave things better than you found them", in a clean state and without causing any problems.
 
Resignation is not the end of the process. Work hard until the last day of your resignation and take over the job properly.
As the proverb says, try to make your resignation a pleasant one.
 
If you encounter any problems when resigning, you can use the consultation service of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

総合労働相談コーナーのご案内
"Information on the General Labour Consultation Corner"

外国人労働者向け相談ダイヤル
"Consultation Dial for Foreign Workers"

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