Staff turn ‘out of office’ on for mental health day off

An employer has given its staff a day off today to focus on their mental health.

Australian fashion brand Bonds shared the news on its Facebook page, where it said that employees in its support and distribution centres will be turning on their “out of office” to give team members “a well-earned day off to rest and care for themselves”.

The firm also added that its customer service and social teams would also benefit from the day off, which has been dubbed ‘Mental Health Monday’.

Following the post, which was shared last night, the business has been praised for the decision to tackle mental health and wellbeing, with many other Facebook users sharing hopes that other companies would follow suit.

One user called Danielle Shannon supported this view and wrote: “This is an amazing initiative for your staff. I wish more/ all companies did this.”

Mandy Phillips added: “What a great idea. Shows you really care about your staff.”

Meanwhile, Melissa Brooks commented: “Well done Bonds. More companies should be following your lead.”

Many users were also quick to question whether employees will also be paid for the day off, however, the fashion company did not cite whether this was the case in the post.

Employers supporting mental wellbeing

While this initiative is taking place in Australia, it highlights the importance of tackling mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, something that many UK organisations are also starting to support.

This comes after 2020 data from King’s College London, which found in the early stages of lockdown 57% of those who took part reported symptoms of anxiety, with 64% recorded signs of depression.

For example, earlier this year dating app Bumble revealed that it would close its offices for an entire week to help staff deal with burnout and have a break from their work.

Similarly, Hootsuite stated that its staff around the globe will be logging off for a week “without interruption” in July.

In addition, AkzoNobel held a virtual wellness festival in March this year “to support colleagues’ health and wellbeing during lockdown”.