Mental health day

Last updated

In workplaces, especially in Australia, a mental health day is where an employee takes sick leave, or where a student does not attend school for a day or longer, for reasons other than physical illness. Mental health days are believed to reduce absenteeism and presenteeism, which is a reduction in productivity or other negative consequences resulting from a pressure to work. [1] [2] Mental health days differ from absenteeism in that the purpose is to reset one's mental health rather than due to a nonspecific desire or feeling to skip work.

Contents

Motivation

Major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other mental illnesses, along with moods such as stress, depression, and anxiety, can cause impairment on workplace functioning and learning. There is evidence in the United States that inadequate managerial support for mental illnesses and negative moods has led to increased absenteeism, morbidity, and an estimated US$300 billion yearly loss as a result of workplace stress. [3]

The stigma associated with mental illness also restricts the ability of students and employees to claim sick leave for mental health. [2] [3] [4] One interpretation of the term "mental health day" is to function as an alternative wording to "sick day" to avoid stigma from workplace mental health issues, so that employees are more able to express difficulty and request support. [5]

A 2010 study showed that one third of workers "admit to faking an illness to get the day off work because they feel they are not coping." [6] [ unreliable source? ]

Legality

In Australia, according to the Fair Work Act 2009 , employees are entitled to use sick leave and personal leave since according to the Fair Work Ombudsman, personal illness includes stress that may impact an employee's mental health. [7] Since casual workers in Australia do not receive sick leave, this means they are not able through the Fair Work Act 2009 to have a mental health day, however negotiation with employers is possible. [7] People with mental disorders do not need to disclose the conditions for this purpose unless they pose a harm to themselves or other people, however disclosing the issues may enable employers to better accommodate needs. [7] [1]

Most countries have no law requiring employees to produce a medical certificate for only one day of absence. However, in 2010, the National government of New Zealand proposed a law to require a medical certificate for one day of absence, [8] and the employer must cover the cost of obtaining the certificate if the duration of absence is less than three consecutive days. [9]

In the United States, under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, individuals can have mental health days as part of "reasonable accommodations" for a disclosed mental illness. In other cases such as for stress, taking time off is allowed entirely at the discretion of the employer. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Work accident</span> Occurrence during work that leads to physical or mental harm

A work accident, workplace accident, occupational accident, or accident at work is a "discrete occurrence in the course of work" leading to physical or mental occupational injury. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), more than 337 million accidents happen on the job each year, resulting, together with occupational diseases, in more than 2.3 million deaths annually.

Ergophobia is described as an extreme and debilitating fear associated with work, a fear of finding or losing employment, or fear of specific tasks in the workplace. The term ergophobia comes from the Greek "ergon" (work) and "phobos" (fear).

Absenteeism is a habitual pattern of absence from a duty or obligation without good reason. Generally, absenteeism refers to unplanned absences. Absenteeism has been viewed as an indicator of poor individual performance, as well as a breach of an implicit contract between employee and employer. It is seen as a management problem, and framed in economic or quasi-economic terms. More recent scholarship seeks to understand absenteeism as an indicator of psychological, medical, or social adjustment to work.

<i>Canada Labour Code</i> Canadian employment legislation

The Canada Labour Code is an Act of the Parliament of Canada to consolidate certain statutes respecting labour. The objective of the Code is to facilitate production by controlling strikes & lockouts, occupational safety and health, and some employment standards.

An employee assistance program in the United States generally offers free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services for employees. EAP counselors may also work in a consultative role with managers and supervisors to address employee and organizational challenges and needs. Many corporations, academic institution and/or government agencies are active in helping organizations prevent and cope with workplace violence, trauma, and other emergency response situations. There is a variety of support programs offered for employees. Even though EAPs are mainly aimed at work-related issues, there are a variety of programs that can assist with problems outside of the workplace. EAPs have grown in popularity over the years.

Presenteeism or working while sick is the act or culture of employees continuing to work as a performative measure, despite having reduced productivity levels or negative consequences. Reduced productivity during presenteeism is often due to illness, injury, exhaustion, or other conditions, but presenteeism can also describe working while contagiously sick, which has the added risk of creating a workplace epidemic.

Sick leave is paid time off from work that workers can use to stay home to address their health needs without losing pay. It differs from paid vacation time or time off work to deal with personal matters, because sick leave is intended for health-related purposes. Sick leave can include a mental health day and taking time away from work to go to a scheduled doctor's appointment. Some policies also allow paid sick time to be used to care for sick family members, or to address health and safety needs related to domestic violence or sexual assault. Menstrual leave is another type of time off work for a health-related reason, but it is not always paid.

North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week is an annual celebration that happens during the first full week of May. The aim of the event is to raise awareness about occupational safety, health, and the environment (OSH&E) in order to avoid workplace injuries and illnesses.

An occupational fatality is a death that occurs while a person is at work or performing work related tasks. Occupational fatalities are also commonly called "occupational deaths" or "work-related deaths/fatalities" and can occur in any industry or occupation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupational burnout</span> Type of occupational stress

The ICD-11 of the World Health Organization (WHO) describes occupational burnout as an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, with symptoms characterized by "feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy." It is classified as a mismatch between the challenges of work and a person's mental and physical resources, but is not recognized by the WHO as a medical condition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupational stress</span> Tensions related to work

Occupational stress is psychological stress related to one's job. Occupational stress refers to a chronic condition. Occupational stress can be managed by understanding what the stressful conditions at work are and taking steps to remediate those conditions. Occupational stress can occur when workers do not feel supported by supervisors or coworkers, feel as if they have little control over the work they perform, or find that their efforts on the job are incommensurate with the job's rewards. Occupational stress is a concern for both employees and employers because stressful job conditions are related to employees' emotional well-being, physical health, and job performance. The World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization conducted a study. The results showed that exposure to long working hours, operates through increased psycho-social occupational stress. It is the occupational risk factor with the largest attributable burden of disease, according to these official estimates causing an estimated 745,000 workers to die from ischemic heart disease and stroke events in 2016.

Work–life balance in the United States is having enough time for work and enough time to have a personal life in the United States. Related, though broader, terms include lifestyle balance and life balance. The most important thing in work and life is the personal ability to demonstrate and meet the needs of work and personal life in order to achieve goals. People should learn to deal with role engagement management, role conflict management and managing life needs to achieve balance. Balance is about how to properly achieve the desired work and life satisfaction and needs in a conflict situation.

Workplace health promotion is the combined efforts of employers, employees, and society to improve the mental and physical health and well-being of people at work. The term workplace health promotion denotes a comprehensive analysis and design of human and organizational work levels with the strategic aim of developing and improving health resources in an enterprise. The World Health Organization has prioritized the workplace as a setting for health promotion because of the large potential audience and influence on all spheres of a person's life. The Luxembourg Declaration provides that health and well-being of employees at work can be achieved through a combination of:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Occupational safety and health</span> Field concerned with the safety, health and welfare of people at work

Occupational safety and health (OSH) or occupational health and safety (OHS) is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work. OSH is related to the fields of occupational medicine and occupational hygiene and aligns with workplace health promotion initiatives. OSH also protects all the general public who may be affected by the occupational environment.

Employee morale or workspace morale is the morale of employees in workspace environment. It is proven to have a direct effect on productivity.

Leaveism (leavism) is a term first coined in 2013 by Dr Ian Hesketh, a researcher at University of Manchester, to describe the phenomena of employees using flexitime, annual leave, rest days and other leave entitlement schemes to have time off when they are in fact too unwell to go to work. He later extended this to include occasions whereby employees took work home and/or on holiday that they could not complete in paid working hours. Hesketh's research, which centred on well-being in the UK police service, sought to identify a gap in current thinking around absenteeism and presenteeism; of which there is a plethora of academic study and commentary. The aim of his studies was to highlight that the true extent of sickness absence may be masked by the practice of leaveism, and that there may be a hidden populace experiencing significant work overload.

A psychosocial hazard or work stressor is any occupational hazard related to the way work is designed, organized and managed, as well as the economic and social contexts of work. Unlike the other three categories of occupational hazard, they do not arise from a physical substance, object, or hazardous energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Workplace hazard controls for COVID-19</span> Prevention measures for COVID-19

Hazard controls for COVID-19 in workplaces are the application of occupational safety and health methodologies for hazard controls to the prevention of COVID-19. Multiple layers of controls are recommended, including measures such as remote work and flextime, personal protective equipment (PPE) and face coverings, social distancing, and enhanced cleaning programs. Recently, engineering controls have been emphasized, particularly stressing the importance of HVAC systems meeting a minimum of 5 air changes per hour with ventilation or MERV-13 filters, as well as the installation of UVGI systems in public areas.

Absence management, also known as leave management, is a combination of employer policies, procedures, or programs designed to handle employee leaves of absence and minimize the impact of those absences on the employer. Absence management programs aim to maximize productivity by supporting an employee from initial absence through return-to-work and stay-at-work plans.

References

  1. 1 2 "Taking a mental health day (and not feeling guilty about it)". ABC Everyday. 2018-08-28. Archived from the original on 2022-06-19. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  2. 1 2 "Here's why mental health days are important for workplaces". HRM online. 2020-09-08. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  3. 1 2 Phillips, Bob (2021-10-14). "Mental Health Days at Work for Employees [Do's & Don'ts]". Breeze. Archived from the original on 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  4. Susanin, Roger; Polansky, Rob (23 May 2022). "U.S. lawmakers propose legislation to tackle mental health issues". WFSB Eyewitness News. Archived from the original on 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  5. "Addressing 'mental health day' stigma". Archived from the original on 2018-03-21. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  6. "Workers throw a sickie to save their sanity". The Age. 2011-11-10.
  7. 1 2 3 "Are Employees Allowed To Take A Mental Health Day Off Work?". Sprintlaw. 2021-07-28. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
  8. Trevett, Claire; Beaumont, Nathan (24 July 2010). "Bid to kill one day sickies". Stuff . Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  9. "Sick Leave". business.govt.nz. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  10. "Taking a 'mental health day': Your rights in the workplace". NerdWallet.com. Fox News. 2015-05-26. Archived from the original on 2022-06-19. Retrieved 2022-06-19.