Mental Health Days?

[DISUNC]

Sick days used as Mental Health Days.... Absolutely!

 

[Evil Genius]

yes definitely. My old boss you could call her and tell her the truth. You were burned out and needed a day to catch your breath. She didn't have a problem with it. My current boss no way could you call her and tell her that. She wants you sitting in the office no matter what, even when you are physically ill.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

yes!

I have worked at places where we had two "mental health/just because" days given to us!!!!

I also have to admit I have taken them at jobs where they only gave sick days. To me (and I know others disagree), sick days are mine to use - and if I have not used many, then I see no problem taking a mental health day. Of course, I have been lucky enough to work at places where taking sick days is not frowned upon.

I truly believe that taking a day to get your head/life together can really make a difference so you can go back to work ready to be more productive.

 

[GeorgeG]

It seems a lot depends on what you do on your "mental health" day off. If you are out and about, other than going to see a therapist, you are being dishonest if you claim to be ill, physically or mentally. If, in fact, you are stressed and need some time, I would think you should be at home resting.

Many stressful jobs, usually salaried, allow some time off aside from sick and vacation, as compensation for the long hours and extra days worked with no monetary compensation. These employees typically put in significantly more than the average 2080 hours a year most wages, vacation, and sick leave are based on. That is a whole lot different from when an average employee just doesn't feel like going to work or doesn't have (or doesn't want to) earned vacation time to go play. I think it's best to understand paid vacation, sick time, and personal time as earned benefits that the employer considers part of your pay, just like medical insurance.

It doesn't take much abuse to ruin it for others. If you are that stressed in your job, you should probably look for a less stressful one.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

It seems a lot depends on what you do on your "mental health" day off. If you are out and about, other than going to see a therapist, you are being dishonest if you claim to be ill, physically or mentally. If, in fact, you are stressed and need some time, I would think you should be at home resting.

Many stressful jobs, usually salaried, allow some time off aside from sick and vacation, as compensation for the long hours and extra days worked with no monetary compensation. These employees typically put in significantly more than the average 2080 hours a year most wages, vacation, and sick leave are based on. That is a whole lot different from when an average employee just doesn't feel like going to work or doesn't have (or doesn't want to) earned vacation time to go play. I think it's best to understand paid vacation, sick time, and personal time as earned benefits that the employer considers part of your pay, just like medical insurance.

It doesn't take much abuse to ruin it for others. If you are that stressed in your job, you should probably look for a less stressful one.

not necessarily, it depends on the atmosphere at your job and how they view it. I have worked places where those days are yours to use however you wish and were "no questions asked". I have used mine just to chill, to get outside on a beautiful spring day, or to deal with personal things that were on my mind at work.

 

[bookgirl]

I put yes. If it's only one day every once in a while and you really are just taking a day to relax. Taking more than one day or using it for a vacation day is wrong.

I am very rarely absent from work. As in if I call in sick my work knows I either can't talk or can't leave the bathroom. But in the past I have taken one day where I slept in late and just relaxed around the house if I was run down or just feeling blah. It does work. I just hate missing work, since I get bonus vacation days if I have less then 3 sick days per year. I've gotten those days for the past 5 years and I really like having some extra vacation days.

When I was teaching ( I am a librarian now in a public library), I might take 1 day off a school, but that was more because every single time I was out, I'd get a call like "Ben is naked and ran away down to the highway, how do you usually get him to come back?" Um Ben didn't run away when I was there, because I made sure to watch him since I know he runs away. LOL It was too hard to be gone and have to put out fires. I once taught my class from the floor of my classroom's bathroom.....actually the aides taught, I just sat there and monitored.

 

[Pigeon]

Nope. Sick days are for when you are sick, period. That goes for the kids and school as well.

 

[Nie0214]

I don't have sick and vacation time. I only have PTO (Paid Time-Off), so the question doesn't really pertain to me.

Even so, if you don't use all your sick time, you lose it that year, don't you? I would use it for a "mental health" day if I had a system that gave sick time, it was November, and I had 3 days left.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I voted "no". DD has a friend who took at least 4 "mental health" days a year off from school, with her mother, who is a teacher. Like my DD said "I thought that's what Saturdays and Sundays are for."

 

[C.Ann]

Mental Illness is just that - an illness. Many times when people are dealing with depression or other mental illnesses they can not cope with daily life. This is a legitimate use of "mental health" days as sick days. Just calling in because you want a day off and calling it a "mental health"day is not.

Thanks for saving me the time of typing that out..

It seems a lot depends on what you do on your "mental health" day off. If you are out and about, other than going to see a therapist, you are being dishonest if you claim to be ill, physically or mentally. If, in fact, you are stressed and need some time, I would think you should be at home resting.

Many stressful jobs, usually salaried, allow some time off aside from sick and vacation, as compensation for the long hours and extra days worked with no monetary compensation. These employees typically put in significantly more than the average 2080 hours a year most wages, vacation, and sick leave are based on. That is a whole lot different from when an average employee just doesn't feel like going to work or doesn't have (or doesn't want to) earned vacation time to go play. I think it's best to understand paid vacation, sick time, and personal time as earned benefits that the employer considers part of your pay, just like medical insurance.

It doesn't take much abuse to ruin it for others. If you are that stressed in your job, you should probably look for a less stressful one.

Not all mental health issues are "job related" - depression being just one example.. There are times when a person can function just fine with depression and work every day - then life smacks them up side of the head with something totally unexpected and they can't function.. That is a legitimate reason for a mental health day..

 

[HelenePA]

Patrick takes "mental health days" off for me.. I need a break every now and then! I'm sure he does as well. He works about 80 hours a week. Its nice to have him here sometimes.

 

[BillSears]

Yes. Provided things are slow at work and you have plenty of sick time saved up.

 

[Pakey]

I do not mind if my employees schedule days off to use for mental health or whatever else they want. I really dislike the last minute call in because of work scheduling issues. So my answer would have to be "it depends".

 

[aprilgail2]

I do it all the time. We get 12 sick days a year and I use close to that each year. We can't use vacation time in single days and you pick your vacation in Sept of the year before so thats not much help when something comes up. I do have 6 personal days which I use too but I do love taking my 4 day weekends for long weekend getaways so those are used pretty quick between that and then things at my daughters school- class trips, concerts etc.
My daughters gets mental health days off from school too, providing there is no test that day she can take a day now and then. Usually she will take it when we are out late the night before- a few times we will work a charity event the night before that doesn't end until midnight so she will take the next day off from school or else go in later after she wakes up.

 

[robsmom]

As a teacher, I am a firm believer in mental health days for both me AND my students.

I have a friend from work who told me that she gave her kids mental health days from school. She had rules, they got 1 a quater i think. They could not avoid a test or work that was due. She felt that it made them better students. Both went to a top private school and both got full college acedemic scholarships so apparently it worked for them!!

 

[pezheadmeg]

I get my time lumped into one block at the beginning of every year. With the exception of my 3 full vacation weeks, I can take the other 15 days in anyway that I please. Except that I have a 22 week vacation/time off blackout period starting September 1st.

By Thanksgiving, I'm in desperate need of a day to veg out on the couch with trash TV and sugared cereal. Then again being stalked by an x-mas shopper from the time you leave the building until you leave your parking spot alone makes you need a mental health break.

 

[Pin Wizard]

A mental health day here and there is good. No one does our work while we're out any way. But too many times both coworkers of mine have been out on the same day...not planned in advance. What are the odds of that happening? It's been more than once.

 

[Pop Daddy]

old school, only rich people could have nervous breaks downs and mental time off, when your blue collar you show up or go hungry

 

[lajones81]

As a teacher, I am a firm believer in mental health days for both me AND my students.

100% agree!

 

[Kimberly]

Absolutely allowed, at least for me. Especially when levels of stress are high for weeks, it's good to be away for just one day.