Sick Leave needs a makeover and a new brand

Kiwis are legally entitled to take sick leave if they (or someone they care for) are sick or injured. Makes sense to say you’re sick if you’re physically unwell or injured.

Kiwis are also legally entitled to take sick leave if they are physical AND mentally unwell. But it doesn’t feel like sick is the right word to describe how you’re feeling if you’re mentally unwell. Would you agree?

According to the Oxford dictionary the definition of sick means "being affected by physical or mental illness". Yet not in every circumstance will you be mentally ill to be entitled to take sick leave.

Given our mental health moves along a continuum, you might have shifted from somewhere between Flourishing and Languishing (Adam Grant), God-like enlightenment and Depression (Jimi Hunt) or simply awesome to average.

So what could we do to makeover sick leave and rebrand it to respond to the future of work?

I say Wellbeing Leave!

But I hear you say “we’ve already got wellbeing leave on top of sick leave at my workplace”. Awesome, I love that companies are providing people with leave to proactively support their people’s wellbeing!

Then you argue "we already give employees 4 weeks annual leave a year plus the sick leave entitlements have just gone up to 10 days, this will cripple us". What's more crippling - an employee taking one or two days to put their feet up or get out in nature to recharge their batteries or an employee who hands over a medical certificate for 4 weeks stress leave that could've be avoided?

I’ve love to see NZ legislate Wellbeing Leave that entitles employees to take leave to support their physical and mental health both reactively and proactively.

✔ Imagine the opportunities for improving our country’s health and wellbeing.

✔ Imagine how that would offer greater permission for employees to actually take a needed break when it’s legislated.

✔ Imagine how that would reduce burnout and employees even getting to that point.

Would love to know your thoughts on this!