Over 81% Feel Days off Work Will Help With Mental Health

Mental Health, just like physical health, is vital for a healthy and productive wellbeing. However, many do not prioritize mental health as much and this leads to exhaustion, burnout, and mental health concerns in the long run. Accordingly, employees may have mental health concerns that require rest and medication. As a result, many contemplate using sick leave for mental health concerns.

Thus, Real Research launched a survey on using sick leave for mental health reasons in society. The survey aims to find out what the public feels regarding the need for such time away from work, etc. Here are the results.

Highlights

• 77.99% say mental health should be a valid reason for sick leave
• 70% say their company/employer is accomodating of respondents’ need to take time off
• 57.65% say that 1-3 days off work would be sufficient for mental health concerns

Mental Health as Valid Concern for Sick Leave

The survey starts by asking if respondents are employed. In reply, 80.41% say ‘yes’, while 19.59% say ‘no’.

Next, the survey asks whether mental health should be a valid reason for sick leave. In response, the majority (77.99%) feel it is a valid reason for sick leave, while 10.61% do not.

Furthermore, the survey asks if respondents feel mental health should count as ‘health concerns’. All 73.66% chose ‘yes’, 9.74% say ‘no’, and 8.10% chose ‘maybe’.

Most Employers Are Accommodating of Time off for Mental Health Concerns

The survey asks respondents whether their employers are accomodating of taking time off work for mental health reasons. To this, a majority of 70% say ‘yes’, while 14.59% say ‘no’.

Next, the survey asks why employers should consider mental health as a valid reason to take leave from work. In response, all 59.17% suggest that work pressure could worsen mental health. Also, 13.48% suggest mental being just as important as physical health.

Additionally, 7.40% feel companies that show overall concern for their employees will thrive in the long run. Plus, a further 7.19% say they cannot perform well if their mental health is unstable. Lastly, 5.98% say mental well-being is important and 5.75% say employees will work better on days their mental health is balanced.

The Majority Have Utilized Their Sick Leave for Mental Health Concerns

The survey then asks respondents whether they utilized their sick leave for mental health concerns. On this, the majority (61.87%) have utilized sick leave, whereas 26.33% have not yet done so. However, 11.79% say they are not allowed to.

Further on, the survey asks respondents if some days off work help with mental health concerns. All 81.36% say ‘yes, definitely’. However, 18.64% say ‘no, medical intervention is more important’.

To conclude, the survey asks respondents how many days off work would be sufficient for mental health concerns? Here, 57.65% chose 1-3 days, 17.60% chose 3-5 days, and 12.40% chose 1-2 weeks. Lastly, 12.35% say they would require over 2 weeks.