While mental health or stress leave isn't an official type of leave, taking a mental health day could be considered a valid use of paid personal/carer's leave under the Fair Work Act.
Can you take a mental health sick day? It is completely acceptable to take a mental health sick day. Just like you'd struggle at work with the flu you may also struggle at work with bad anxiety. Mental health days help you recover from stress, anxiety or depression which could be fed from work.
Your mental and physical health are very much interconnected. Taking a mental health day can improve your energy, motivation, mood, and ability to manage stress. These benefits are likely to increase your overall productivity and performance at work and can result in better outcomes in the long-term.
Some experts suggest taking them once a month, or as needed. Examples of mental health day activities might include taking a walk or hike, journaling, getting a massage, and more.
You should take 1 mental health day per month, psychologist says—here are 4 great ways to use them.
Your mental health is just as serious as a physical health condition. It's perfectly acceptable to call in sick for this reason. What is this? Whilst it can be a difficult conversation to have with your workplace, they should be supportive of your illness and do all they can to aid your recovery.
Plan What You're Going To Say
It also helps to word your request as something that would benefit the company. An example might be, 'I wanted to discuss taking a mental health day. Since working on our current project, I've been feeling that my productivity isn't at the level that I would like it to be at.
“So, employees may not want their mental health status to be known, and it shouldn't be considered separate from any other illness. Employees don't need to provide details of why they're taking personal leave – the medical certificate or statutory declaration can simply refer to a 'medical condition'.”
This is a great example of using your sick time to when you're not feeling well mentally or emotionally. If you are not able to give 100% of your effort at work, it is perfectly okay to take a sick day to stay home and rejuvenate yourself!
Depending on your state, you may not be able to get much work done, and that's OK. The company will go on in your absence. There's no reason to be racked with guilt over missing a day or two of work because you don't feel well.
Some workplaces will require evidence of needing personal leave. If your employer requests a medical certificate, most GPs will be happy to provide you with one. You may wish your employer to know you're taking a mental health day, but if not, your GP can be as vague as noting a 'medical condition.
Sick Leave and Personal Leave
Employees are entitled to sick leave for personal illness. Personal illness can include both mental and physical afflictions.
However, full-time employees are entitled to personal leave, which they can take to recover from physical or mental illness, including stress. In this sense, stress leave is when an employee takes personal leave from work due to stress. This article explains how you can manage stress leave in the workplace.
You should get your normal pay on the days you work and SSP on the days you don't work. You have to have 4 days in a row off sick to get SSP - this includes Saturday and Sunday. So you might want to take Monday and Tuesday as your sick leave days.
Asking for time off due to stress can, therefore, be stressful! But stress is treated, legally, in the same way as physical illness. Should you feel unwell due to stress, you should see your GP as soon as possible. Your GP will tell you how best to deal with your stress and how much time to take off work, if necessary.
Can you get a sick note for mental health issues? You can get a sick note for mental health issues like depression, work related stress, and anxiety. The NHS introduced the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health in 2016 to reduce the long term impact for people experiencing mental health problems.
If your fever is 100.5 degrees or higher, stay home. Other signs that you're too sick to go to work include: Coughing. Runny nose.
Stress and mental illness are valid reasons for taking time off work, but evidence suggests a significant number of employees still feel uncomfortable about taking time off for these issues.
According to Susie, it's all about both sides taking steps to normalise mental health issues: “If you think that your mental health would affect your work performance, then it's OK to take a day off sick. You don't need to make up a physical ailment.”
Budget more time than you think you'll need so that the conversation isn't cut short. Be clear about the impact your mental health challenges are having at work. If the cause is work-related, share that also. As much as possible, come with suggestions for how your manager or HR can help you.
Scripts you can use with your boss
“Lately, I've been experiencing stress and burnout and would like to request time off to manage my mental health.” “I've been struggling lately with personal stress. I know I've been distracted and unfocused at work as a result.
“I need time to take care of my mental health."
I've had some financial hardships lately that have affected my mental health, and I've consequently also caused some issues at work. Yesterday, everything kind of came to a head and when I had to excuse myself a little early, my boss was very understanding.