Mental health days are as important for employee well-being as they are for overall organizational success. In fact, the two are closely connected. Everyone needs time to unplug and recharge, so with some time away from work, performance improves, leading to lower rates of burnout and turnover. Happier employees can deliver better work, more often, and are more likely to stay with a company longer.
October 10, 2024, is World Mental Health Day, a time to remind ourselves that mental health matters. This year, the theme is workplace mental health, highlighting the importance of addressing mental health and well-being in the workplace, for the benefit of people and organizations. So, it’s an opportunity to look at how and why companies should encourage employees to use their paid time off (PTO).
How does PTO improve employee well-being?
Think of your successful employees who meet deadlines, create more efficient ways to complete tasks, and bring even the hardest projects in on time and under budget. They are more than likely, on some level, to pay a price for all that success.
That’s why companies offer benefits like PTO as an essential perk. While some countries, like the U.K. require their employees to take 28 days of PTO, other countries such as the U.S. leave it up to employees. But is that always the better option?
The result is that 46% of U.S. workers take less paid time off than offered. Additionally, 40% of the American workforce reported their workload prevents them from taking vacation time. Statistics like these aren’t good for business. Employees who work too hard without enough time to recharge burn out.
Research shows that employees who don’t take enough PTO experience higher levels of stress and anxiety. These lead to decreased productivity and job satisfaction and an increase in unplanned absences. Workers with fair or poor mental health take an estimated 12 days of unplanned absences a year, costing the U.S. economy $47.6 billion in lost productivity.
Any employee can only take so much stress. It will catch up with them if they don’t take the necessary precautions to recharge and rest — whether they realize it or not. And it’ll result in them taking time off unexpectedly, which isn’t good for them or business.
Employees who don’t take mental health days are also more likely to experience health problems — such as heart disease, obesity, and depression — as psychological and physical health are connected.
Why are employees not using their PTO?
Despite the availability of PTO in employee benefit plans, many employees don’t take the mental health days they need.
Employees feel guilty. 47% of American workers feel guilty for taking time off because their co-workers have to absorb their workloads. This is why many who take PTO still make themselves accessible during that time — which defeats the purpose of being offline to recharge.
Reiterate to your employees that they shouldn’t feel guilty for taking time off to destress and must stay offline while on PTO. It is also up to leadership to make sure workloads get evenly divided. When time off is planned, management can adequately prepare for when team members are out.
Employees fear they’ll lose their jobs. Workers will forego mental health days and vacations altogether due to the fear of being fired. In some U.S. states, individuals are at-will employees, meaning they are without a signed collective bargaining agreement and can be fired for any reason — including taking too much time off. It’s important your employees know that your company supports them in taking full advantage of their PTO and that being fired for it is out of the question.
Employees worry they’ll be judged. 27% of workers worry their manager and peers will perceive them as lazy if they take time off. This is especially true for mental health days. There is sadly still a stigma for employees who take mental health days, which is why many make up another reason for taking that time off.
Nearly half of the 63% of employees who take time off for mental health lie about why. Nobody should lie about needing to take mental health days. Talk more openly about these within your organization and why you support them.
Working parents fear they’ll be stigmatized. While working parents are protected from discrimination under laws – such as the Family and Medical Leave Act – some are still reluctant to take the time off due to social stigma and interpersonal consequences. Most don’t want resentment from their child-free co-workers, appearing as though they have more flexibility.
Every employee needs mental health days, whether a parent or not. As a company, ensure that all employees know they are encouraged to take days off to recharge, regardless of their living situation. Doing so can help alleviate anxiety for working parents.
How can employers encourage employees to use PTO?
When many people think of PTO, they strictly think of vacations. Taking days off for mental health is still in the process of being normalized. And it’s up to companies to tell workers leveraging PTO for mental health days is welcomed.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), depression and mental health disorders rank in the top three most expensive and common issues among employees, costing employers more than $100 billion in lost productivity annually.
Employees who take mental health days are not only benefiting themselves but also the employer they work for. That said, encouraging teams to take days off for mental health reasons can be tricky due to the stigma. So, how can companies resourcefully support employees who use PTO for mental health?
Below are three creative ideas to keep in mind:
- Create a “no questions asked” policy for taking PTO. Do not require employees to tell you why they need the days off. This takes the stigma out of the equation when employees need to take a mental health day. Have this policy in writing somewhere your employees can access easily. Mental health PTO needs are deeply personal, and this will help prevent employees from feeling they need to justify it when they don’t.
- Remind employees of the benefits of PTO, including mental health. Whether through your employee newsletters, team webinars, or company town halls — reiterate to employees that one of the benefits of PTO is how it can improve their mental health. Discuss the many upsides to employees taking mental health days off. This awareness and open communication will help employees feel more comfortable taking them when needed.
- Redefine PTO as more than taking vacations. Discuss PTO in terms of more than just vacations, such as focused family time and self-care. With hybrid and flexible work more common, workers might need an additional nudge. Just because they aren’t always working in an office doesn’t mean they still can’t burn out. Make sure your workforce knows you understand where they work from doesn’t change their workload.
How does PTO benefit both employees and companies?
PTO is directly linked to mental health, and that’s not just theoretical. Some data shows that for every additional 10 days off, depression decreases by 29%.
Additionally, a study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that people are more creative two weeks after their vacation than before taking time off. And creativity is a clear benefit for an employer.
The problem is, some have built cultures where burnout is worn as a medal of honor. To push past these old-fashioned expectations, companies must create a way for employees to see the value of their own happiness.
By Gabi Bellairs-Lombard
Gabi is a London-based writer with 8 years of experience in copywriting and strategy across various verticals. She has been immersed in tech for two years, previously writing for a fintech company. Her specialities lie in long- and short-form writing, SEO writing and strategy, and market research. In her current role at Eptura, she covers the latest worktech and workplace experience trends.
