Unhappy leave is one of the most trending buzzwords in the recent tech world. It is a leave policy where employees can take additional leave when they feel emotionally sick, unwell, or dissatisfied.
Chinese business owner Yu Donglai introduced the unhappy leave policy for the first time, where employees are eligible to apply for an additional 10 paid days off. The main purpose of promoting the leave is to maintain work-life balance and enhance employee well-being in the workplace.
Why Unhappy Leave!
An unhappy leave policy delivers happiness to the employees and is necessary for the company’s productivity and business profit. Now the query is, why do employers integrate the policy within the workplace?
Let’s have a detailed look at the benefits of implementing an unhappy leave or a leave of absence for emotional or mental health reasons:
1. Reduce Mental Health Issues
In our corporate work culture, almost all employees deal with a 24/7 work environment. Due to hectic work schedules, they might feel emotionally overwhelmed, stressed, or burned out. A sufficient number of unhappy leaves for employees could be necessary for them to self-care and recover.
2. Resolve Personal Issues
Many employees stay miserable due to personal difficulties such as handling family issues, grief, relationship struggles, and inter-workforce arguments. These difficulties reflect on their daily output and make them unproductive over time. In this scenario, taking unhappy leaves provides space to self-heal, allowing them to eliminate their anguish and rejoin refreshingly.
3. Settle Employee Burnout
In the corporate work culture, employees often feel stressed while working over hours. They feel burnt out when they fail to be identified after working a lot. This dissatisfaction can lead to burnout and emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion. An unhappy leave policy allows the person time to rest and recharge with entire motivation.
4. Prevent Further Deterioration
I continued that employee burnout leads to disengagement and less productivity. Employees who become bored for a long time may search for a better option and move out of their current place. Taking leave early can help prevent further deterioration of mental health, avoiding more severe issues like emotional collapse or long-term burnout.
Top Consequences of Unhappy Leaves
Here are some consequences employers may face when integrating an unhappy leave policy into the workplace. Unlimited leave counts affect employees as well; let’s see how!
➔ Stigma and Judgment
Employees are often ridiculed and made to feel shameful for taking time off for their mental health issues, as our society is not ready to accept that such problems exist.
➔ Career or Academic Setbacks
Massive extended time off can be a barrier to achieving goals. In a workplace setting, with extended time off, employees often miss out on projects and may even lose their values and identity.
➔ Misuse of Extended Time Off
Often, employees misuse the extended time off by chilling out randomly with their friends and family. An unhappy leave breaks the responsible attitude of employees, hence hampering productivity.
➔ Hassle in Re-joining
Employees may be confused or face struggles after returning from extended leave. They may lose the rhythm of work or study, or the work environment may have changed in their absence.
➔ Emotional Impact
While time off can be healing, it may also lead to self-doubt. If employees don’t manage their time properly, time away may worsen feelings of inadequacy or cause them to feel disconnected from their peers or responsibilities.
A Wrap-Up Thought
Though the word ‘unhappy’ is placed in the phrase, the definition of the term is somewhat for happiness. With the policy, employees can take leave to treat unhappiness or mental health reasons as a way to prioritize self-care and well-being. This policy clearly demonstrates your organization’s support for self-care, allowing someone the time to heal, reflect, or find support before returning to their regular routines. Any organization can promote the policy with their workforce, but before integration, it is also essential to understand their circumstances and determine the mitigations.
