Talking about mental health used to be a stigma in the past days. However, the stigma is still there but intensity has been decreased in many places. In 2001, the World Health Organization defined mental health as, “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. Today, the importance of mental health is rising in workplaces. This showcases how tech giants and multinational companies are seeking help from a healthcare translation company to cater to the needs of their multilingual workers.
The workforce isn’t just all about taking work from the workers. Rather, today, the workforce tries to create a family and take care of them by all means. And those who are not doing so are far behind their competitors because if you don’t take care of your employees, someone else will. This is why we are here to help you understand how vital it is to have mental health days so that work doesn’t take a toll on employees.
Introduction to Mental Health Days
Simply speaking, mental health days are the days when people take off from their monotonous life and focus on themselves. Taking days off from the normal circle of life is necessary as it helps humans cope with mental issues. Oftentimes, certain things happen in our life but we forget or don’t find time to deal with the emotions associated with those happenings. In the long run, these emotions can burdenize us and later show up as emotional outbursts. In order to refrain from these outbursts, it is better to deal with emotions by taking a break.
These mental health days allow us to recharge ourselves and return to our lives more energized and renewed with clarity. Every year mental health day is celebrated on the 10th of October. The importance of mental health is highlighted and in educational institutes as well as in the work sector, management takes action to know about the issues of their people so that all can thrive in the environment. In order to make it easy for multilingual people to access mental help, professional medical translation services are considered very important.
How Do Workplaces Perceive Mental Health Days?
There are both positive and negative responses from workplaces when it comes to mental health days. Some workplaces consider mental health days a lack on employees’ behalf. They think that workers are escaping from work and lying about their health. For those toxic workplaces, work is more important than the normal functioning of the people working there. At the same time, there are workplaces that acknowledge how important it is for workers to have days where they can refill their energy levels. The culture of casual leaves is an example of workplaces showing how they value their employees.
One of the reasons behind this shift is because of Gen Z. This new generation is seen as more carefree and self-absorbed. They focus on themselves and promote self-care and self-love. This generation is more open about mental health and expects employers and management to be supportive.
Impact of Mental Health Days on Workplace Culture
Mental health days are a very valuable tool for workplaces to maintain a healthy and positive environment. Management can show concern and this will automatically boost the confidence in their employees. Employees stay for a longer time if their employers focus on their well-being. By normalizing mental health days in workplaces, the stigma of mental health is slowly being removed from our society.
Taking a break from work enhances creativity and focus. It is absolutely normal to feel anxious and depressed from the constant flow of work. There are certain deadlines that need to be met and the pressure of meetings and good performance increases pressure on employees. This is why mental health days are not just a luxury, rather they are a necessity these days.
Implementing Mental Health Practices
By far, we know that it is important for workplaces to encourage the mental health days culture. Now let’s talk about the practices these workplaces need to adopt. Through employee assistance programs (EAPs), companies can initiate confidential counseling. Workplaces should have doctors and healthcare providers present at all times in case of any medical emergency. In case of linguistic differences between employees, companies also collaborate with professional medical translation services. Translation services help in emergencies and even in EAPs. Other than that, confidential counseling is a part of certain workplaces where companies have hired professional therapists. These therapists engage in conversation with employees and solve their concerns. Medical translation again plays an important role here where it helps bridge the communication gap between therapists and employees.
Final Words!
To sum up, mental health days are universally important. Employees all around the world need days to replenish their energy so that they feel motivated and focused instead of anxious and depressed. A workplace can be tiring for employees because of the constant work pressure and deadlines. By introducing counseling in workplaces, employers can take care of their employees’ mental health.