I believe mental health is just as important as physical health and it should be taken seriously. When someone has the flu or kind of illness, they are encouraged to stay home and take rest, before returning to work they are told to recover at first. I think the same idea should apply to mental health. As a person who has the problem of anxiety, I would say it's a serious issue. Our emotional burnout, depression, anxiety or exhaustion may not be visible but they can affect a anyones ability to think clearly. When I'm having anxiety I can't make good decisions and perform normally in any kind of activities so the same goes with the people who are working.
For an example of a true event, I'm a student so there's been days when exams, homework and personal problems became too much for me. I was feeling unwell but physically I was fit, so I was confused because I was facing difficulties to stay motivated or focused during the classes. So, when I took a few days off I felt a lot better and it was honestly refreshing. I could focus again which made studying easier for me. After that, I started taking breaks once in a while and it has helped a lot. That made me realize that mental health deserves the same care and attention as physical health.
For this reason, I support the idea of mental health days. I think employees should get a few dedicated days each year to rest and that could help to improve their overall well-being. If someone is not mentally healthy, how do you expect them to do your work perfectly? Our brain is the main processor which helps us with our productivity. People who feel mentally healthy, they are usually more active and creative at work. In the long run, this could also benefit the company. Because happier employees often perform better and when they are treated like they matter then they less likely to leave their jobs.
However, I can understand the fact that some people may misuse mental health days and that's inevitable, they could be faking their struggles. If that happens companies may suffer from lose and lose trust in the system, also the employees who truly needs help they could face more skepticism. Ignoring it can make the problem worse over time.
I think the solution is not to reject mental health days but to introduce them with proper guidelines. For an example, companies could ask for doctors report and have a separate team to verify it thoroughly. Also, they can offer a limited number of mental health days each year but not too often and this should be separated from a regular sick leave. Companies should also educate employees that these days are meant for recovery not for taking an extra vacation. There should be consequences for breaking the guidelines so that no one would think of misusing it.
Overall, I believe mental health should be treated with importance as we do for the physical health. When someone's leg is broken we do not question them for it, so why question someone when they need leave for mental health problems? With fair policies and mutual trust, I believe mental health days could become a positive benefit for both employees and company.
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