Maternity Leave

Table of contents:

• What Are Mental Health Days?
• Why Are Mental Health Days Important?
• How Mental Health Days Are Managed
• Employer Responsibilities and Best Practice
• Mental Health Days and Absence Tracking

What Are Mental Health Days?

Mental health days are short periods of absence taken by an employee to focus on their mental and emotional wellbeing. Unlike long-term mental health conditions that may require extended sick leave, a mental health day typically involves taking a single day or a small number of days away from work to rest, recover, and prevent stress or emotional strain from escalating.

A mental health day recognises that mental wellbeing is just as important as physical health. It can help employees manage symptoms of stress, anxiety, low mood, burnout, or overwhelming pressure before they develop into more serious issues. While some organisations have formal policies for mental health days, others treat them under standard sickness absence or wellbeing-related leave.

Why Are Mental Health Days Important?

Mental health days support early intervention, allowing employees to reset before stress or fatigue impacts their performance, health, or long-term productivity. They can help:

• Reduce the risk of burnout
• Improve concentration and motivation
• Support emotional resilience
• Lower stress levels
• Encourage open conversations about mental wellbeing
• Prevent longer-term sickness absences
  
  

Recognising mental health days as a legitimate form of absence helps create a culture where employees feel supported and comfortable seeking help when needed.

How Mental Health Days Are Managed

The way mental health days are managed varies by organisation. Some businesses offer designated wellbeing days as part of their benefits package, while others treat them as personal days, annual leave, or sickness absence.

Common approaches include:

• Allowing employees to self-certify short-term absence
• Encouraging open communication with managers
• Providing access to Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs)
• Offering flexible working or reduced workloads during particularly stressful periods
• Monitoring patterns of absence to identify where further support may be needed
  
  

Employer Responsibilities and Best Practice

Employers play a key role in supporting mental health at work. Good practice includes:

• Creating a workplace culture where mental health issues can be discussed without stigma
• Ensuring managers know how to respond sensitively and appropriately
• Providing access to occupational health, wellbeing resources, or mental health first aiders
• Encouraging early intervention when signs of stress are identified
• Offering reasonable adjustments where needed, for example, flexible hours or a temporary change in duties
  
  

Mental Health Days and Absence Tracking

Accurate reporting of mental health days helps organisations identify trends, measure wellbeing risks, and plan appropriate support. Absence management systems such as GoodShape’s platform can help:

• Track short-term mental health-related absences
• Highlight patterns that may indicate rising stress or workload pressures
• Facilitate referrals to occupational health
• Provide managers with insights to make earlier, better-informed decisions
• Support wellbeing strategies based on real data