MONTREAL (PRWEB)
July 26, 2023

In the time of our grandparents, taking a day off from work due to illness was rare, and missing work as a result of stress was even rarer. To do so would mean no pay for the day, risking the loss of their job, and perhaps even ridicule. We now have the luxury of sick days, but as a study from the researchers at PsychTests reveals, many people are using them as “de-stress days,” especially individuals who struggle to cope with the pressures of their job and everyday life. This begs the question: should it become standard practice to provide employees with mental health days in addition to sick days?

Analyzing data collected from 1,456 people who took the Hardiness Test, PsychTests’ researchers compared people who took more than five sick days in the last year (“Sick Days” or SD group) and those who did not take any at all (“Non-Sick Days” NSD group). Here’s what the data revealed:

PEOPLE WHO TOOK MORE THAN FIVE SICK DAYS IN THE LAST YEAR SCORED LOWER ON SPECIFIC PERSONALITY TRAITS ASSOCIATED WITH MENTAL TOUGHNESS:

•      Resilience (score of 67 for the Non-Sick Days group vs. 49 for the Sick Days group, on a scale from 0 to 100).
•      Locus of control, which refers to the degree to which people believe they have control over their lives (score of 68 for the NSD group vs. 54 for the SD group, indicating more external locus of control in the SD group).
•      Positive mindset (score of 69 for the NSD group vs. 57 for the SD group).
•      Self-esteem (score of 70 for the NSD group vs. 53 for the SD group).
•      Perseverance (score of 69 for the NSD group vs. 58 for the SD group).

PEOPLE WHO TOOK MORE THAN FIVE SICK DAYS IN THE LAST YEAR ARE MORE LIKELY TO USE UNHEALTHY, INEFFECTIVE, AND POTENTIALLY HARMFUL COPING STRATEGIES:

•      Regression: Reverting to child-like behavior when feeling stressed, such as having a temper tantrum or sucking one’s thumb (score of 60 for the Sick Days group vs. 37 for the Non-Sick Days group).
•      Rumination: Incessantly chewing over a problem to the point of distraction or loss of sleep (score of 77 vs. 57 for the NSD group).
•      Engaging in bad habits: This might include overeating, drinking, gambling, or other addictive/unsafe behaviors (score of 60 vs. 42 for the NSD group).
•      Self-harm: Causing pain to oneself in order to cope with or override painful emotions (score of 46 vs. 16 for the NSD group).
•      Avoidance: Not facing a stressful problem head-on (score of 68 vs. 56 for the NSD group).

IN ADDITION, AMONG THE PEOPLE WHO TOOK MORE THAN FIVE SICK DAYS DUE TO STRESS…

•      18% have little to no leisure time
•      25% don’t have hobbies
•      21% feel they have nothing to live for
•      22% have a stressful personal and/or family life
•      15% have poor eating habits
•      28% are not satisfied with their job
•      13% are victims of verbal abuse
•      12% have been bullied
•      16% have suffered harassment

“Effective coping skills are a must, as nearly every job has an element of stress. And as we have seen in our study, people who don’t have a good repertoire of coping strategies will struggle significantly,” explains Dr. Ilona Jerabek, president of PsychTests. “I think that taking a personal day if a person is feeling strained is a necessity. Of course, older generations will often deride younger people for taking time off due to stress. Your grandparents will probably tell you that they pushed themselves to go to work no matter what the circumstances—through 3 feet of snow or with a fever so severe they could barely stand. Maybe they were tougher cookies; maybe they just repressed their feelings and soldiered on at the cost of physical illness. Maybe the pressure is higher nowadays, with economic pressure to have two-income households, job security being a distant memory, inflation, and high prices. The bottom line is that sick days are not being used solely for physical illness anymore. This means that stress levels are becoming extreme, to the point where people are struggling to function in everyday life.”

“Many companies are going in the right direction, but most are not doing enough to reduce the strain on workers or help them manage the pressure effectively. This is why the implementation of a stress-reduction strategy is essential. So is normalizing mental health or personal days and making sure that employees feel comfortable asking for time off when the stress becomes overwhelming, even in the absence of physical symptoms. If you think your company cannot afford it, think again. There is a strong business case even for small companies: you avoid losing good employees and prevent absenteeism, illness, and burnout. In addition, psychological wellbeing leads to higher productivity, better efficiency, more creativity, and increased morale. Taking good care of employee wellbeing is not only the right thing to do, it actually pays off.”

Are you mentally tough? Check out the Hardiness Test, at https://testyourself.psychtests.com/testid/4189

Professional users, such as HR managers, coaches, and therapists, can request a free demo for this or other assessments from ARCH Profile’s extensive battery: http://hrtests.archprofile.com/testdrive_gen_1

To learn more about psychological testing, download this free eBook: http://hrtests.archprofile.com/personality-tests-in-hr

About PsychTests AIM Inc.

PsychTests AIM Inc. originally appeared on the internet scene in 1996. Since its inception, it has become a pre-eminent provider of psychological assessment products and services to human resource personnel, therapists and coaches, academics, researchers and a host of other professionals around the world. PsychTests AIM Inc. staff is comprised of a dedicated team of psychologists, test developers, researchers, statisticians, writers, and artificial intelligence experts (see ARCHProfile.com).

Share article on social media or email: