If you’re employed full-time, chances are your job allows you to have a certain number of sick days. And while it’s great to be able to take time off if you’re feeling under the weather, mental health is equally as important as physical health, and Gen Z wants it treated as such. A new survey from TalentLMS and BambooHR found that 82 per cent of Gen Z employees want mental health days.
The researchers collected responses from 1,205 American survey respondents between 19 and 25 years old from different industries, who have held a job for at least six months. They found that one in three working Gen Zers has a challenging time coping with stress and pressure in the workplace.
Related: 40 per cent of Canadian young adults are at a mental health breaking point: survey.
And although a poor salary is the top reason these employees quit their jobs to go somewhere else, burnout and lack of work-life balance is the second, according to the survey — 42 per cent of Gen Z employees would quit their job if they were experiencing burnout symptoms and if they’ve not had a healthy work-life balance.
Aside from being beneficial for young employees who are struggling with mental illness, mental health days might just stop young employees from job-hopping, as researchers also found that a quarter of Gen Z employees say they’re likely to find a new gig this year.
See also: Is the ‘do what you love’ mindset fuelling The Great Resignation?
With mental health becoming more and more destigmatized at work, the survey reported that “prioritizing mental health is an imperative for early professionals.” So leaders should recognize that in order to keep their young employees, acknowledging that this is important to them and doing something about it “will create a workplace where Gen Zers will thrive.”
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