Many professions give their employees a certain amount of sick days that they are allowed to take within a given amount of time. Lots of people, including myself, believe that these employees should have the ability to take advantage of all their allowed days off for personal days. Because these employees usually do not receive the opportunity to utilize each of their sick days being under the weather, being able to take mental health and personal days instead to be the best at their job should be a necessity for employers and employees alike.
Taking the proper precautions when it comes to mental health is super important for both the ability to complete expected tasks in the workforce thoroughly and simply for the employee’s well-being. Taking sick days off as personal days can reduce stress, and depression, and even increase rates of productivity. Working consistently without rest can make workers feel as if they are trapped in an endless cycle of the same exact day on repeat. It can be detrimental to not just their mental but their physical well-being as well.
There is a difference between sick days and personal days. Sick days are given to certain professionals to keep track of how many days they take off and it limits them to the sole reason of them being sick. Personal days, also known as paid time off in some cases, are most commonly used not because an employee is under the weather, but because they feel the need to take a break from the hectic work environment created when working a long stretch of time with no time to themselves. In the opinion of not just myself, but many others, time off should just be time off without any sort of label or name. Employees work hard and they deserve the luxury of being able to take time for themselves away from their workplace then it feels like a necessity.
Most of the time, employees actually tend to feel bad when they feel the need to take off work for themselves. They feel like they are leaving their responsibilities untaken care of. This is most commonly seen in educators. They feel as if they are leaving their students hanging without their presence. This should not be the case for any profession. Employees should be entitled to their own time and space to think and relax without feeling the stress that comes with a job of any sort.
I have a job of my own. I work in customer service and as most people know, customer service is not sunshine and rainbows all of the time. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job but it is very draining at the same time. I always make sure I put myself and my mental and physical health before my job. I make sure that I do not work more than a four-day stretch back-to-back simply because I am still a high school student and I have to put work aside for school and myself. It is a necessity in all jobs, not just careers!
With that being said, all time off should be just time off and there should not have to be a reason labeled. Employees have the right to take care of themselves without feeling any sort of guilt for it. The importance of putting your health above all is indescribable. Take time off!
