Out of Office
"Sick on a Friday. Starting the weekend early. Homey don't play that. Man, this is a huge problem in offices everywhere. I looked this up, and it turns out two out of every five days are taken on a Friday or a Monday. Think about that."
-Michael Scott
Season 2, episode 13, The Secret, was such a great episode of The Office. After rewatching for what might be the hundredth time, I still find so many funny moments. Steve Carell, as Michael, is the best. But that’s not the only reason this was a great episode. Other than Jim’s secret of having a crush on Pam coming out, we get to watch an investigation unfold on whether or not Oscar is really sick.
Now, this took place years ago at a small company. I do not doubt that this type of thing occurred where it was suspicious if you called out sick. I’ve been in corporate America for over twenty years and have called in sick when not sick only a handful of times, and I felt terrible for doing so each time. I’ve always been scared to do so because I was afraid that I would get caught. Like, what if I went to Target and someone from work showed up? I didn’t even live near the office, so there would be no reason someone from work would be at that same Target unless they were on vacation. These were legit thoughts that I had.
Fast forward to today, and well, the stigma is still there but has improved. In 2020, during Covid, when my entire company went remote, I remember being on Teams calls with executive leadership talking about mental health. In my 12 years at the company, that was the first time the company spoke openly about mental health.
If you work at a large corporation like I do, chances are they have many mental health resources. However, you still have to search for them. They aren’t advertised as much, or there are multiple resources available, but it becomes confusing what each is for and what the differences are, and you end up not utilizing them. According to the Center for Workplace Mental Health, only 3-5% of employees actually use these types of services.
One thing we can do as corporate employees is what Oscar did: call in sick. Nowadays, we can call in sick for mental health days. I am curious how many of you call in sick versus telling your manager I need a mental health day. I’m lucky to have a manager who is for taking mental health days. One morning, she texted me and my colleague that she was taking a mental health day. Having your manager be transparent with you on this lets us know we would be safe to do the same. I have yet to actually take one.
When to take a Mental Health Day
This made me reflect some, maybe I haven’t needed one? Am I stress-free? Am I feeling well mentally? What does it even feel like to think you need a mental health day? Am I so stuck in the old ages, locked into the stigma around mental health, that I have conditioned myself to think I don’t need one? Deep. I don’t know.
Here are some signs you need to take a mental health day, according to my Google search:
Signs You May Need to Take a Mental Health Day
You’re feeling overwhelmed, and it’s leading to more stress
You’re not able to focus at work
You’ve lost motivation to perform the same level of work you usually do
You think about work after work
You have trouble sleeping
You’re more anxious than usual
You get angry easily
You feel physically tired, though you sit at your desk all-day
You develop negative feelings about your job, your company, or your colleagues
Oh, ok, so it sounds like I probably need a mental health day, according to this list. If any of these signs sound familiar to you, then maybe you, too, should consider taking a mental health day.
I’m so glad I don’t work in a workplace with a boss like Michael and his assistant to the manager, Dwight. Can you imagine your boss calling you to check if you’re really sick? Then visiting you at your home? That is wild. Part of the old-school way of thinking was that people needed to be at work all the time and do their jobs, or the company would fall behind. If a large company falls behind because one person is out, they may need to reevaluate their hiring needs.
"Because an office can't function efficiently unless people are at their desks doing their jobs."-Michael Scott
Let’s talk about Oscar’s sick day. I don’t think taking mental health days off was a thing during that time. Calling in sick when you weren’t sick back then was frowned upon because it was like you were cheating your company.
That couldn’t be further from the truth. I would argue that if you’re not feeling well mentally, how can you produce quality work? When we take care of ourselves first, we can better care of others or other things.
So, let’s guess why Oscar took the sick day. Was it purely to spend time with Gill and go galavanting at the ice skating rink? Maybe it was. But could it be Oscar needed that time because he had developed negative feelings about his job, company, and/or colleagues? My guess is yes.
Spending some time to focus on your health is good for you. But why not use that day for a vacation day? Well, because it isn’t a vacation day. If you have sick time and vacation time, taking a break for your mental health would fall under sick. Mental health is health.
Benefits of Taking Time Off
It’s important to take care of our physical and mental health. Neglecting your mental health can affect your body physically. Taking time off from the stresses of your job can help you recharge your batteries. When you take time off, it’s to relax and rest. Who doesn’t want that?
Taking one day off can be helpful, but it’s not a cure if you continue to need days off. Sometimes, there’s something more going on, and it’s a good idea to evaluate what is going on in your life to make you feel how you do. Is it the job itself? Is it something else you can’t quite put your finger on? Sometimes, we need professional help.
For some of us, that one day can make all the difference. Taking a day off using a sick or mental health day instead of a vacation day can help manage stress. When you take time off from your work responsibilities, you leave room to improve your mood and attitude. When one of the signs is negative feelings toward your work, company, or colleagues, this time off can help you release those feelings and focus on things that bring you joy.
When you care for your mental health, you can also improve your physical health. Stress can cause us to lose sleep and eat poorly. The long-term effects of these behaviors lead to other health issues, which can lead back to mental health issues that come with the stresses of hospital bills and pain. It’s a vicious cycle.
How Do You Take a Mental Health Day Off?
That’s right, “take,” not “ask.” Why would I need my manager to decide if I can or cannot take a mental health day off? That is how it’s done at my company, and if it’s not at yours, make sure you understand your company's policies around sick days or mental health days. If your company is not one that you can take a day off from but instead have to request, I would treat this as a sick day. If you have a fever and are contagious, you call in sick. You don’t need permission from your manager. Mental health is health; you must take it when needed.
Unfortunately, dropping everything and taking a day off is not always easy. I think it’s easier to do this when it gets so bad. However, we shouldn’t wait until it gets that bad. I work on a small team, so I often think about how my day away would affect them. Am I being too considerate? I have yet to take a mental health day, but I always try to plan one but never actually take it.
I check my calendar to ensure the day I aim for isn’t filled with many meetings. I look for slow days. If slow days don’t exist in your job, you sometimes have to take them for your well-being. It’s okay to put yourself first.
So why do I plan my day off without actually taking it? I work from home, so I can decompress without taking a day off. It’s easier for me to take my lunch hour to focus on myself. Sometimes, it’s enough time. I think the stresses of my job have decreased since being able to work from home. The stress mainly came from being unable to find an outfit, driving to work, interacting with too many people, and losing a lot of time for myself.
When Should You Take a Day Off?
Is there a good day to pick for a day off? I don’t think there is. A good day is the day you decide you need it. I wanted to see if Michael Scott was right about Friday and Monday being the days taken off the most. While he was right about Monday, I am surprised that Friday was not among the most popular days. I also found an article that said Wednesday was the most popular day, but this article was from 2021. The only way to know is to survey companies, which change yearly. To sum up, it doesn’t matter what day most people take off. Take the day when you need it, and don’t dwell too long on the day you pick.
This Blog Post is Your Sign
Ok, maybe not. You should stick to the other signs above, but maybe you have already done so and are still unsure if you should take it. Then, yes, use this blog post as your sign. You owe it to yourself.
What’s Next?
If you’re looking for ideas for what to do with your time off, check out my list here.
Stress Relief? Check out my blog post, Boom Roasted.
Do you have an iPad or Tablet and want to get organized? Check out my shop for digital planners with quotes from The Office. Reading them can already melt the stress away.
