As companies grow to meet employees’ needs, they’re rethinking paid time off policies so that workers can feel better both inside and out. Increasingly, that includes introducing a personal and mental health day.
In theory, sick days should be set aside for those “there’s no way I can drag myself to work” days, no matter the reason. But all too often they’re reserved just for physical illness not for mental health. And even if your policy doesn’t restrict an employee from taking time off for mental health reasons, they may hesitate to do so because of the stigma attached. Mental health days, when backed by a positive work environment, offer employees an appealing alternative.
Extending time off policies to include mental health makes good business sense when you consider that 1 in 5 millennials — the largest share of the workforce — reports feeling depressed. On top of that, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) links depression to an average of about five days of missed work per year and up to $44 billion in lost productivity.
Employers both big and small can proactively manage those cost risks. One minor change that can have a major effect is to replace sick days or add new classifications for alternative reasons to miss work. For instance, some argue that offering mental health days alongside sick days brings more exposure to mental health in the workplace and normalizes it in everyday workplace vernacular.
Other workplaces opt to replace sick days entirely with personal days, a catchall label that gives employees the freedom to take time off when they need it, whether they have the flu, work-related stress or simply need to run personal errands for a day. According to a 2018 benefits survey from the Society for Human Resource Management, 36 percent of employers offered personal days last year, a jump from 22 percent just four years prior.
However, you approach the subject, it’s important to support employees’ need to take off time for their mental health. Promote a welcoming, open-door culture that encourages them to share their needs. Not everyone will want to ask for a specifically labeled mental health day, and they shouldn’t be forced to. But motivating employees to see mental health issues as a health concern that warrants time off — whether in the form of sick days, mental health days or personal days — can make it clear that you understand the complexity and importance of mental health.
Cosmo Insurance Agency is an independent insurance agency serving surrounding communities in New Jersey. Cosmo keeps its promise to assure an efficient and creative approach to the services we offer. Each of our clients experience a personalized and long-term relationship with us. Our New Jersey based team of health brokers guides our clients in helping them choose the most cost-effective options. By incorporating the latest in technology-based tools and laws on healthcare, employee benefits, life insurance and finance, we keep our clients up-to-date with the plans that encompass all of their needs, whether it is individual or group insurance.
