Employees taking wellbeing leave is becoming increasingly common. More and more companies are introducing the concept to their staff in the workplace and are reaping the benefits. That being said, many employers still have their reservations about offering additional paid leave as they fear it may lead to decreased productivity and strain on other employees. While these fears are understandable, they are not necessarily valid. It is important to ensure the mental and physical wellbeing of employees and one of the best way to do so is to offer wellbeing leave, or wellness days off from work.
Studies have found that up to half of all working days, maybe even more, are lost due to work-related anxiety or depression caused by stress. Employees who are overworked can negatively impact your company because they are less likely to perform well in their jobs and start to burn out, which takes its toll mentally, physically and emotionally.
The idea behind offering wellbeing leave is to give employees the chance to decompress, recharge, and take care of their mental health, so that they can return to work in the right headspace.
Still not convinced? A report by Forbes revealed that greater productivity can be linked to fewer working hours, as employees are more focused on working smarter, not longer. Wellness days off work are a great to boost employee welfare and productivity, but how do you go about implementing this?
Firstly, it is important to exercise caution when establishing this concept, as you will need to provide the right number of wellbeing days without it impacting productivity. The best way to do this is to start with one day per quarter. Note that there is no one-size-fits-all and employers and managers will have to evaluate the policy to see whether four wellbeing days off work are the right amount for their companies.
Setting clear guidelines and policies will be greatly beneficial in ensuring that these days off do not disrupt the workflow. You can also avoid overburdening your team by requesting that employees request days off with sufficient notice. This allows your staff to plan their resources.
Slotting these additional paid leave days into your leave management system can be a nightmare if you are working manually and trying to keep tabs of who has applied for leave and also monitoring when they will be off work, whether their requests have been approved, and how many additional leave days do they have on top of their annual leave.
Using an online leave tracker may be a good idea, not just to handle additional well being days off from work, but for handling all your leave requirements.
This is where LeavePro comes in. Our system was designed to make the leave management process as simple and easy as possible.
A company leave calendar allows managers to easily see who’s away, allowing you to manage resources and plan for busy times. LeavePro also helps you stay compliant with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and assists in catering for annual leave, sick leave, family responsibility leave and other leave types. Public holidays are also automatically taken into account when applying for leave.
Employees can apply for leave online and check their leave balances. Managers will be notified via email when a leave request is sent for their approval and employees will be notified when their leave is approved or declined.
Additionally, our system allows you to run detailed reports on employee’s leave balances and leave history.
Have you been considering adopting a leave management system into your company? We are offering a 14-day free trial to give you the full experience of what LeavePro has to offer.
Sign-up for a free trial or find out more information about LeavePro.
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