Rethinking Mental Health Days in a Work Human World

I think we can all agree that sick days, vacation time, “Paid Time Off” (PTO) structures or similar are no small part of the compensation or Total Rewards package for the vast majority of full-time employees. I’m willing to wager we can all also agree that employees will abuse the intended purpose of the programs. In my part of the world we call this “pulling a sickie.” I believe the American phrase is “taking a mental health day.”

A recent UK survey uncovered some interesting trends on why 1/3 of the nation pulled a sickie in 2015:

• Women primarily took fake sick days due to being overwhelmed at work (41%)
• Men primarily took fake sick days to get over a hangover (27%), while another 20% of men said they took a fake sick day because they felt bored at work
• 1/4 of people in Northern Ireland (and 18% of men overall) pulled a sickie to “get on with life admin”

Disturbingly, people are little better when they are truly sick. The survey also revealed:

• 39% feel guilty for taking time off when legitimately sick
• 32% worry they are letting their colleagues down
• 29% worry the boss will “question their commitment”
• 25% of those who do work while sick do so because they “have too much to do and no one to cover them”

This is disturbing on many levels and a prime example of how we fail to enable our teams to Work Human.

How can we get people to take sick days when they’re actually sick, work on days they are not, and still take time they need to balance life needs outside of the workplace?

1. Stop thinking of “mental heath days” as abuse of the system. We’re humans. Sometimes we get overwhelmed with our to-do lists. Sometimes the siren call of the beach cannot be resisted on a beautiful summer’s day. Sometimes the only way to get those “life errands” done is during our own working hours when the bank is open, the lawyer is available, or the doctor is in. We shouldn’t make employees feel as though they must game the system in these situations. We should empower them to make the right decisions for themselves, their families and their colleagues.
2. Remind people that when they are sick, the kindest thing they can do for colleagues is not share their germs. I do believe some employees come to work while sick with a healthy dose of “martyr syndrome.” You know the ones. “I would have taken a sick day today, but my input on this project simply could not be delayed.” While deadlines are certainly real, no one is indispensable – or they shouldn’t be. The strongest workplace cultures are those in which supportive team structures are real and viable, meaning there is always someone who can cover your work while you recuperate. For those martyrs out there who may be reading this, let me give you something to consider. If you’re truly irreplaceable, you’re also not promotable.
3. As managers, pay closer attention to workload balance to ensure no one feels they must work while sick to see the work get done. Managers of people have our own responsibility in both creating and, hopefully, dismantling work environments where people feel it necessary to pull a sickie due to being overwhelmed with their work. As leaders, we are responsible for balancing workloads, adding resources where and when needed, and ensuring our team members are fully supported to achieve their best work. No one can do so in a state of overwhelm.

What’s your reaction as a manager when you feel an employee has pulled a sickie? Have you taken a mental health day yourself? What drove you to it? What is the perception in your workplace towards these days?

As Globoforce’s Vice President of Client Strategy and Consulting, Derek Irvine is an internationally minded management professional with over 20 years of experience helping global companies set a higher ambition for global strategic employee recognition, leading workshops, strategy meetings and industry sessions around the world. He is the co-author of "The Power of Thanks" and his articles on fostering and managing a culture of appreciation through strategic recognition have been published in Businessweek, Workspan and HR Management. Derek splits his time between Dublin and Boston. Follow Derek on Twitter at @DerekIrvine.

Comments

[E. James (Jim) Brennan]

Great points, Derek! The best thing a sick employee can do is stay home and not infect the entire workforce. Also, better to take a break and recharge drained batteries than limp in and stagger around in a dizzy fog or frantically spin your wheels in tense anxiety.

Optimal productivity demands optimal mental, physical and emotional health. Otherwise, your organization will be run by confused, hurt and unbalanced people.

[Karen Kervick]

PTO was supposed to be the antidote for employees to feel comfortable planning time off as needed (even if the day before) for either life maintenance but also for the last minute sick day. An unscheduled absence can disrupt a business and should only be a last resort but it happens.

I think it depends on your business and the employees' role if you can forgive "mental health days" which occur with no notice.

Employees should be empowered to use their time off wisely, as needed, and with consideration of their co-workers.

I think PTO is the best way to manage scheduled and unscheduled time off. We don't need a separate "sick" time bank. We should not have to define it as "pulling a sickie" when we are not truly sick. Let's treat employees like an adult and perhaps they will act like a responsible one.

One can hope.

[April]

I like this. Interestingly enough, we have separated PTO banks for sick and vacation time and feel that some staff may be taking "mental health days" not because they need them so much as they have a bunch of sick time they never use because they are generally healthy and their sick time is maxing out. Because of this, we're looking into having either one combined PTO bank without categories for vacation and sick or creating a personal time category that can be for whatever they choose.