Taking a Day off for Mental Health: Resetting Mental State to Baseline
In today's world of remote and hybrid work, mental health has become a significant concern for many employees. A recent study reveals that mental health accounts for 12.7% of all sickness absence in the UK, and over half of all workers do not think highly of how their employer is addressing mental health issues.
One solution to this problem is the concept of a mental health day. A mental health day is a day off work spent doing whatever is needed to relieve stress. This preventative measure, taken to regroup before reactive measures are needed, can help reset perspective, give time to process emotions properly, rest, and destress.
However, the stigma and secrecy surrounding mental health in the workplace often mean that sick days and mental health days end up being the same thing. Eliminating this stigma would go a long way in resolving the issue of workers hiding their mental illness.
The importance of mental health is particularly significant in the current world of remote and hybrid work. Many companies are not doing enough to address mental health issues in the workplace, but those that take care of their employees' mental health may have an advantage in the fight for top talent.
Fortunately, remote and hybrid work environments also offer benefits for mental health. Enhancing employee well-being, boosting productivity and morale, and providing flexibility in scheduling are just a few of the advantages of mental health days in these environments.
Regular breaks to manage stress, prevent burnout, and practice self-care help employees maintain mental and physical health and support a healthy work-life balance. Employees returning from mental health days are more refreshed, focused, and engaged, leading to higher job satisfaction and a motivated workforce.
Flexibility in scheduling, offered by remote and hybrid models, also supports mental health by allowing employees to work during their most productive hours and reduce stress from commuting and rigid office hours. The reduction of exposure to workplace stressors such as germs, interruptions, and strict supervision that remote work minimizes is another benefit.
However, remote and hybrid work come with challenges such as feelings of isolation, loneliness, blurred boundaries between work and personal life, and difficulty disconnecting from work, which can adversely affect mental health.
To address these challenges, employers can adopt best practices such as explicitly recognizing mental health days as valid and separate from general sick or personal leave, encouraging employees to maintain regular schedules even while remote, providing access to mental health resources, promoting breaks for physical activity and time outdoors, fostering communication and social connections, integrating mental health support into a broader wellness program, and allowing flexible scheduling and autonomy.
By adopting these practices, employers can support mental health days effectively, improving overall workforce well-being and performance. It's time for companies to prioritize mental health and create a supportive and understanding environment for their employees.
References:
- Global Workforce of the Future Report 2022
- Harvard Business Review
- Forbes
- Mental Health America
- World Health Organization
The incorporation of mental health days within the global workforce could significantly boost employee well-being and productivity, as stated in the Global Workforce of the Future Report 2022. Embracing science-backed practices for mental health, such as those from Mental Health America and the World Health Organization, can serve as a stepping stone in prioritizing health-and-wellness and mental-health within the workplace.
