Following an extremely taxing year on the North American workforce, more workers are prioritizing mental health in their careers. They are purposely seeking out companies that offer mental health days and normalize taking that much needed time to recharge. However, companies are not rising to the challenge. In fact, according to a Deloitte survey, “95% of employees who have taken time off due to stress named another reason, such as an upset stomach or headache. Also, less than 30% of employees feel comfortable talking to their managers about their mental health, and even less (25%) to HR.” So, how can your company attract these candidates and create a more successful team overall? Try implementing these three strategies to normalize mental health days in your workplace.
Change Your Policies
The first thing you must do is implement a concrete change in policies. Don’t just assume that your allocated “sick time” will attract new candidates. Talk to your HR team about changing the PTO policy to explicitly include mental health days so that employees know this is accepted and encouraged.
Advertise Your Priorities
After you’ve made a change to your policies, shout it from the rooftops! Advertise it on your website, include it in your job descriptions, even build a social media campaign around it. Everyone from current employees to prospective candidates should understand that your team supports mental health days. You will be amazed at how this small change can attract impressive talent!
Encourage The Use Of Mental Health Days
As a result of “unlimited vacation day” policies, we learned that just because a perk is offered doesn’t necessarily mean it’s utilized. Fostering a supportive mental health culture will take ongoing work. Check-in with your team members often, and keep the mental health policy top of mind. If you notice that someone is struggling, encourage them to take a couple of days to recharge! Sometimes people need a break more than they’d like to take one.
These are just a few ways that your company can start supporting time off for mental health. This is a trend that will only continue to grow in the corporate world, and it’s essential that you don’t get left behind in order to remain competitive. Interested in learning more ways to support your team and hiring efforts? Explore our client resources!
