Mental health leave is on the rise in 2024

Despite the influx of new wellness apps and employee benefitsworkers are still struggling – to the point where they have to take sick leave.

According to mental health service provider ComPsych, related to mental health leave increased by 300% between 2017 and 2023; by 2024 they have increased by 22%, one in ten of all leave today due to mental health. In particular, employees who need this time off are not guaranteed full pay.

Under the Family and Health Leave Act, employees are entitled to 12 weeks of unpaid leave if they are experiencing a serious health condition or need to care for a sick loved one. Severe mental health conditions may qualify employees for short-term disability, which usually covers at least a portion of wages.

In other words, except for employees who have access to more progressive leave policies, a growing number of workers are willing to give up at least a portion of their pay to take time off the job. For Dr. Jennifer Birdsall, a licensed clinical psychologist and clinical director at ComPsych, it’s clear that workers have reached breaking point for a number of reasons, too.

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“There are increasing chronic stressors we face as a nation and around the world: the pandemic, civil unrest and community violence, an unpredictable economy and a polarized political environment,” says Dr. Birdsall. “We have seen an increase in personal stressors such as caregiving. There is so much that contributes to those feelings of (being) exhausted and overwhelmed.”

Dr Birdsall points out that women accounted for 71% of all mental health leave in 2024, an increase of two percentage points on last year. Given that women disproportionately take on caring responsibilities, Dr Birdsall was not surprised that they were the ones most in need of leave. And caring hasn’t gotten any easier, as working parents are often responsible for children and elderly parents – according to the Guardian insurance company, the average time spent caring has tripled since 2020 to 26 hours a week.

“Working Americans who provide care for loved ones are still predominantly women,” says Dr. Birdsall. “They struggle with competing responsibilities but don’t want to ask for help. They worry that their managers might think they don’t have the ability to take advantage of more opportunities at work, so they try to ride it out until they hit it. a turning point, and then it’s too late.”

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Work remains another major stressor: according to the American Psychological Association, 88% of workers feel “burnt out at the end of the day.” Whether remote work has proved too isolating or whether mandates to return to the office have destroyed employees’ sense of work-life balance, the past four years have not been easy for workers, says Dr Birdsall. Not to mention that workers in industries affected by layoffs may have taken on more responsibilities to compensate for their reduced team.

Dr. Birdsall encourages employers to at least do their best not to be part of the problem. She recommends that companies establish manager training programs specifically for mental health and burnout. According to the UKG, managers influence the mental health of employees more than doctors or therapists. In fact, managers are on par with an employee’s spouse or partner.

“We should train managers on topics like how to identify struggling employees, how to have supportive conversations about mental health, and how to make recommendations to a team member about how their benefits can help them,” says Dr. .Birdsall. “We want managers who can support a positive mental health culture.”

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Dr. Birdsall also advises employers to evaluate their benefits and reflect on whether employees have the resources to take care of their mental health. She cautions leaders not to ignore this trend and instead invest in benefits and policies that enable people to do their best at work.

“We know there’s a disconnect between how employers feel their benefits support workers and how employees actually feel,” says Dr. Birdsall. “But make sure you’re also really thinking about your leadership and your culture.”