A supermarket chain in China recently announced that it allows staff to take up to 10 "unhappy days" annually, on top of their usual sick leave and holiday. “Everyone has times when they’re not happy, so if you’re not happy, do not come into work,” said founder Yu Donglai.
The practice of offering wellbeing days, sometimes known as mental-health days, reflects a growing openness to discussing wellness in the workplace and has been lauded as an effective way to lower stress, boost morale and improve productivity. In recent years, more companies have begun including the policy as part of a broader wellbeing strategy. Both Nike and LinkedIn shut down for a week every year to allow employees time for themselves and financial services company NerdWallet offers four “self care” days a year.
Such policies are a sign that businesses are improving when it comes to supporting staff. But the usefulness of mental-health days is debated by those who doubt their effectiveness and caution against possible risks when it comes to implementing them. A 2023 survey by Deloitte found that a third of employees do not feel comfortable speaking openly with their manager about stress or anxiety. This indicates that, just because workers are allowed to take paid time off, it doesn’t mean that they will.