If you say that you are serious about mental health, then your policies and actions need to reflect that ‘seriousness’. As the world moves towards a greater collective awareness about the importance of mental health and wellness, there can still be a learning curve when it comes to both employers and employees properly engaging with the topic. 

At Jade Life and Wellness, one simple piece of company policy we have implemented and actively advocate for is the ‘mental health day’. We wanted to actively normalise for our people to actively check-in with themselves and take a mental health day for themselves if necessary. This does not consume annual or sick leave entitlements, and it requires the individual to provide the reason (respecting individual privacy & appropriateness) for taking the mental health day. 

In today’s high-performance (and high-stress) environments across one’s personal and professional worlds, many of us still measure productivity by output and hours logged. But we need to start realizing that one of the smartest investments we can make is in our mental wellbeing. Mental health days—short, intentional breaks to address emotional fatigue, anxiety, or burnout—are not a liability. They’re a proactive tool for preserving long-term performance and building a healthier, more resilient workforce.

The evidence is clear: supporting mental health directly impacts business outcomes. First, companies that encourage mental health days see higher productivity and engagement. Employees who feel mentally supported are more focused, motivated, and creative—bringing sharper thinking and better problem-solving to the table. Second, it significantly reduces absenteeism and turnover. Burnout is one of the leading causes of sick leave and resignations; providing structured outlets like mental health days can prevent small issues from becoming costly exits. Third, it strengthens company culture and brand reputation. When employees see that their wellbeing is genuinely prioritized, loyalty increases, and your company becomes more attractive to top talent.

Encouraging mental health days is also a clear signal of empathetic leadership. It tells your people that you trust them to care for themselves and gives them permission to step back before a crisis hits. From a policy standpoint, these days can be framed within your existing wellness initiatives—requiring no radical restructuring, just a shift in mindset. Integration of this concept into our company policies and let us reap the benefits of a more emotionally intelligent workplace.

We want our people to become more sensitive to their own mental wellbeing and provide them with an avenue to take charge of their self-care. As a coaching academy, it is also our way of practising what we preach by actively placing energy and focus on personal awareness building for all our people. 

At the end of the day, it’s not about our company—it’s our people. By making space for mental health days, we are building a culture that values sustainability, performance, and human dignity. And our dream? A sharper, more stable, and happier workforce—one day at a time.