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In a country like mine, most workplaces will refuse to let you go on your annual leave with the excuse that it is not convenient for the company. Even when an employee falls sick, they will still want you to come to work or even work from a hospital bed. While my country could be this strict with leave, I have heard of countries where individuals are forced to go on leave or even punished for working overtime. Where the company is checked and could be punished for having staff who did not go on leave in a full accounting year. Leave in such a country is deemed necessary to allow the staff to recuperate.
Having the leave entitlement in my country is mostly just a formality. In your letter of employment, it will clearly state that one has so-and-so number of leave days. Still, it becomes a story when you are ready to go on your leave. The company will always see that they protect their interests first, even at the detriment of your mental health. The labour laws in my country are either too weak or lack enforcement, leaving the labourer to suffer in that regard. This results in resentment by workers towards the company and its management, and even affects the productivity of employees.
I can remember my case with my manager: the first time I met my manager to request leave, he said it was not convenient for the company at the time, and I should leave his office after trying to understand when it may be convenient for the company. This caused me to resent my manager and even the workplace, as it became a toxic environment at the time. At the end of the day, it resulted in us having a serious disagreement, which prompted me to write an email to Human Resources management.
What I understand from going on leave is that it refreshes one's mental health and, as such, one can become more productive after the period of rest. Companies should be mandated to give annual leave, sick leave and even mental leave.
If an employee feels that their mental health is low and they want to rejuvenate, I see no reason why the company should refuse such a person from taking such leave. A person can refresh and come back more focused and productive if they are being allowed to go on leave. It is also an advantage to the company, as it will make the employees feel respected and will be less likely to want to leave the company for another, causing the company to save the cost and stress of the process of new hiring or employment process.
While it is possible to have or enforce a mental leave day in the country or countries that have a working system, it will be very difficult to do so in a country like mine, where employers don’t see leave as something important but as a lazy man’s excuse to be absent from their obligation.
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