◆What is the “Sick/Injured Child Care Leave” system?
According to the Child Care and Family Care Leave Act, a worker who takes care of a child who has not yet started elementary school can take up to 5 days (10 days in the case of two or more children who have not yet started elementary school) in a fiscal year by making a request to the employer.
In addition, workers who are hired on a daily basis are excluded as eligible workers, and certain workers can be exempted from the scope of the program by labor-management agreement.
◆What is the “Short-term Family Care Leave” system?
Under the Child Care and Family Care Leave Act, a worker who cares for or looks after a family member in need of nursing care can take up to five days (or 10 days in the case of two or more family members in need of care) in a fiscal year by making a request to the employer.
The requirements for workers who can take this leave are the same as for Sick/Injured Child Care Leave.
◆What will change?
Although Sick/Injured Child Care Leave and Short-term Family Care Leave have to be taken in one-day or half-day units, as of January 1st, 2021, leave can be taken on an hourly basis.
In addition, although workers who work 4 hours or less per day are not required to take leave in half-day units, from January 1st 2021, they may take leave on an hourly basis.
◆What do you need?
It is necessary to review the regulations for childcare and family care leave.
In addition, if there is any work for which it is difficult to obtain hourly basis, workers engaged in that work can be excluded from the target workforce through a labor-management agreement, so if there is such work, a labor-management agreement must also be concluded.
