In recent years, taking mental health days to focus on self-care and recovery has become the norm in all settings, including the workplace and school.
In June 2017, the web developer, who had long suffered from mental health issues, decided he needed to take time off from work to “focus on his mental health.” After notifying her team, she received an email from her boss summarizing how seriously mental health should be taken at her workplace.
She requested a “mental health day” and received an email from her boss about the “example” she was setting.
In the post to X, Madalyn Parker She shared an email she sent to her team about taking a mental health day, and a response from her boss that reaffirmed her decision in the first place. Ms. Parker, 26, lives in Ann Harbor, Michigan, and was a software engineer for Olark, Michigan’s live chat platform that helps businesses and customers talk.
Parker has been open about her mental health struggles, which include both anxiety and depression at work. Her 2015 Medium post was titled: “Overcoming mental health hurdles in the workplace” She wrote about sharing her mental health issues with colleagues and feeling supported by her team.
“I’ve gotten to a place where I feel comfortable sharing my experiences and letting people know when things aren’t going well. I’ve learned to cut off sources of stress and to not worry about others, especially at work. It’s gone. Either you care about what I’m doing or you don’t like it,” Parker wrote. “It really makes me feel good to know how supported I am at work and that I have the power to make things happen.”
“I’ve been told many times to keep my problems to myself for fear of discrimination, but by being open about my mental health (even at work!), I’ve been able to build healthier relationships and manage the stress that comes with it. “It’s good to know that it’s actually possible to reduce,” she continued. .
After realizing she needed to take time off for her mental health, Parker emailed her team and told them not to come to work and to “hopefully…be refreshed and back to 100% next week.” “I’m doing it,” he said. But shortly after sending the email, Parker received a surprising response from his CEO at Olark. ben congleton.
Mr Congleton would like to personally thank Mr Parker for the email and how important it is for employees to use sick days as mental health days if they see fit. emphasized. “I can’t believe this is not standard practice in any organization,” he wrote.
“You are an example to all of us, and you help us break down the stigma so we can do our jobs to the best of our ability,” he continued.
Ms Congleton admitted she was brought to tears by the praise for her response.
In a post shared on LinkedInMr. Congleton believes that his sole job as an executive and as someone who leads an organization is to “empower and motivate teams to maximize the organization’s impact on customers, employees, shareholders, and the world.” He explained that it was a “thing”.
“Some of the responses brought tears to my eyes,” he explained. “There were so many stories about how I wanted to work at a place where the CEO cared about my health, and so many people congratulating me on doing such a good thing. It was just business as usual. As it should be. We have a lot of work to do.”
Parker’s story was shared on TikTok by a career content creator named. amber road. She emphasized the importance of making mental health days available to employees, adding that they are very different from “sick days.”
“I think mental health days should definitely be separated because they are a completely different issue,” she explained. “A mental health day is not necessarily a day to get sick. [a] Colds, flu, things like that. However, Mental Health Day is aimed at avoiding burnout, which can lead to serious long-term health problems and result in long periods of time off work. ”
Nearly 8% of the U.S. workforce experiences depression each year, and job stress and long hours are the leading causes of moderate to severe suicidal thoughts among U.S. employees. According to Lailathe world’s leading workforce in mental health care.
Many people, including managers and CEOs, don’t understand that mental health is just as important as physical health, especially when it comes to being productive in the workplace. Employees need to feel able to talk about their mental health issues without feeling like they are a burden or fearing negative repercussions if they do.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news and lifestyle writer whose work explores contemporary issues and experiences.
