Increase in Mental Health Leaves

Expert Clinical Psychologist Merve Umay Candaş Demir stated that, according to international analyses, there is data showing that the majority of employees in recent years have used their annual leaves as "mental health leave" and said, "It is reported that mental health-related leaves have increased by 2017 percent, especially from 2023 to 300. As stress and burnout increase in the modern world we live in, we see that mental health comes to the fore as much as physical diseases. Mental health now reminds us of itself forcefully. When we consider turbulent events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, ongoing international conflicts, wars, social unrest, polarization, unstable economy and climate crisis, the motivations of producing and working people to use their annual leave also change. While in the past, leave was only taken for physical illnesses, now we see that people are exhausted and force themselves to go to work, and especially in our country, they do not take steps for their mental health.” said.

PEOPLE ARE DESPERATELY TRYING TO SURVIVE

Expert Clinical Psychologist Merve Umay Candaş Demir pointed out that people are desperately trying to continue their daily lives in public transportation vehicles, squares and streets and continued as follows:

“However, contrary to popular belief, this situation is a threat to the future of efficient production and a happy society. For a socially happy future, all our institutions need to take steps for the mental health of their employees and initiate leave practices to protect mental health. Today, if an unhappy employee sits in the office for hours, he cannot be productive, creativity fades, and the error rate in the work done increases. Burnout syndrome is a process that everyone will experience from time to time. "It is precisely during these periods that institutions should care about employee psychology and take the necessary steps." he said.

INTERGENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES ARE ALSO COME TO THE FOREGOING IN WORKING LIFE

Pointing out that intergenerational differences also come to the fore in working life, Expert Clinical Psychologist Merve Umay Candaş Demir said, “To remember, generation X is the generation born between 1965-1979, and generation Y is the generation between 1980-1999. When we look at Generation X, they are individuals who are loyal in business life, can work in the same job for many years, and have good career goals. They are sensitive to social problems, have high work motivation and respect authority. It has been revealed through research that Generation Y wants to make an impact in the world, aims to establish a balance between work and private life, and unlike Generation X, they aim to work to live their lives. For millennials, working is not a goal; "It is seen as a means to spend time with their loved ones, travel and spend the money they earn." said.

GENERATION Y DOES NOT LIKE LONG WORKING HOURS

For this reason, routine and long working hours that continue after working hours and additional work on the weekends cause members of Generation Y to move away from work, said Expert Clinical Psychologist Merve Umay Candaş Demir, adding:

“Generation Y is trying to balance family and private life. However, on the one hand, the increasing role of women in business life, but their failure to share the domestic workload with family members increases burnout levels. "The reason why this rate is low in men is that men are active in the public sphere and live only with this responsibility."

GENERATION X IS PSYCHOLOGICALLY MORE RESILIENT THAN GENERATION Y EMPLOYEES

Expert Clinical Psychologist Merve Umay Candaş Demir stated that working for female employees both at work and at home negatively affects their mental health and said: "In this context, domestic dynamics should be regulated, and all members of a family should take equal responsibility in the home environment." said.

Expert Clinical Psychologist Merve Umay Candaş Demir stated that studies have shown that Generation X is more psychologically resilient than Generation Y employees, adding that Generation He explained that they are faced with the necessity of competing in the globalizing world, and therefore, while generation X is advantageous in terms of psychological resilience, generation Y is more disadvantaged.

ANNUAL LEAVE SHOULD NO LONGER BE ONLY FOR ISSUES SUCH AS MARRIAGE, DEATH, PHYSICAL ILLNESS.

Expert Clinical Psychologist Merve Umay Candaş Demir concluded her words as follows:

“In light of these results, we can emphasize that although there are differences between generations, investment in the mental health of employees will generally have positive returns on companies and our country. "Annual leaves should no longer be limited to issues such as marriage, death, or physical illness. Employees should be able to clearly state that they feel exhausted or going through a different mental period, and they should be able to take mental health leave to recharge themselves when necessary."