Image source: Dall-e
It may sound odd but when I was working as a Pharmacist on a Saturday I always dreaded the last 5 minutes. Now most people will think "What's wrong with the last 5 minutes? Shouldn't you be looking forward to going home?". They would be right. On Saturday I'm paid to work from 8:30am to 4:30pm. However, as people expect the Pharmacy to be open right on time at 8:30am I have to arrive 20 minutes early to make sure everything is ready to go when people show up at the door. I'm not paid for those 20 minutes, but people expect it from me.
It is even worse for the last few minutes of the day. Typically Saturday afternoons are really slow. Often times I won't see a single customer for an hour or two before closing. I will have been watching the clock, dusting, looking for outdated medications, filing and generally doing the awful chores that get left for when there is absolutely nothing left to do. However, people know we close at 4:30pm and for some reason they think showing up at 4:29PM means I will get their prescriptions done before they go home. I hear the "Oh, I'm so glad I made it before you closed".
What I hear is Unpaid overtime. Now legally I could say "Thank you, I'll take your prescription and start working on it first thing Monday morning when we re-open". However, I also know that people will think I'm callous and unprofessional if I do that. The problem is that I'm a person too, I make plans, I like getting paid for my work, and staying after my allotted time means my plans get delayed or cancelled and I'm not paid. Is that fair?
How about my co-worker? As a Pharmacist it is unsafe for me to be alone in the Pharmacy. There are a lot of controlled and narcotic medications there which can be a huge theft problem. With two people there it is somewhat safer. So, that last minute customer? I can send them away, close up, and look callous. I can lock up the front door so no other customers come in but if I send my help away I'm in a secure store and without others there I'm a prime theft candidate. Or I leave the door open and someone else may come in making my shift longer. Or I keep my help with me and now two people have to stay late without being paid.
None of my choices are great
Now the Hive Learners post today is about should workers be given mental health days.
Depending on the age of the person you talk makes the answer somewhat different. A Gen-X like myself would likely lean towards: You don't work, you don't get paid. A Boomer may lean towards "You should work hard and if the company needs you, show up". A Millennial? "My mental health is important, of course I should get mental leave if I need it".
I'm going to look at it from a different angle though
.... and you saw a sign on the door. "Mental health day, didn't feel up to coming in"
You have an appointment.
... you arranged your schedule so you could make the appointment
... and the Doctor just didn't show.
That just doesn't seem fair
and to the patient it certainly wouldn't be.
And honestly it could be many many different types of meetings, appointments, events and more that would be awful if the person you were relying on just didn't show. A bus driver who doesn't show up? A teacher who doesn't show up? An employer who doesn't show up to a job interview? An actor who doesn't show up to set? I could go on and on but the answer remains...If one person takes a day off, other people are inconvenienced.
But there can always be someone to cover
Well, for many jobs you are absolutely right. For many jobs there is a crew of people working and if one person needs to call in for a mental health day then the others can carry the load. I have worked with one person off many many many times. Sick calls happen. Accidents happen. People forget they are on shift. The list of why people don't show up is lengthy and yes "Mental Health Day" could absolutely be added to the list.
Here is the thing though. When a place is short staffed wait times get longer. Your prescription takes longer. Your wait at the register gets longer. The service at the restaurant gets slower. Customer service declines. Not because the people are incompetent but because they are operating in crisis management mode not the regular things flow smoothly mode.
Which of course brings up: Well just make sure you have more staff to cover! Which is a wonderful idea. Let's run with that. Oh how I wish that we always had just one extra qualified person on every shift so we were unlikely to be short and usually have one extra person to make things go more smoothly. Unfortunately that one extra person expects to be paid. More people means more expenses and that leads to higher prices.
Customers hate higher prices
... and I don't blame them.
I haven't answered the Hive Learner post prompt yet though. To be direct? I absolutely believe that employees should be given mental health days, personal days, and other days off when it is really important for reasons other than "I'm so sick I can't perform my work".
I also know that there is a cost to giving that.
Different generations have different viewpoints on work/life balance. I don't know how many times I've had that one last person in the final 5 minutes of my shift. I don't know how much time I've worked unpaid so the store opens on time. I don't know how much longer the "de minims" statute will hold when a new generation simply says... I'm not showing up if I'm not paid for those extra 10 minutes. Or if they say "My shift is over. I'm done. Come back when I'm on the clock". Or when employees start saying "My mental health is worth more than this job, I'm taking the day or working elsewhere".
Currently a lot of employees are still from the old style mentality of "suck it up and get it done" .. but things are changing.
I think mental health days will become increasingly important and it will be interesting to see what changes come to prices, staffing, and employment practices in the future.
Of course that is just my take on things. I appreciate anyone who has read this far and would love comments. Always appreciated. Thank you.
