Generational shift in attitudes
Part of the generational shift is a different approach to sick days and protecting their mental health. Gen Z workers are more likely to take sick days – and it’s not because they’re getting the flu more often. Instead, they’re expanding the concept of what being “sick” means and taking mental health breaks to avoid anxiety and burnout, leading some companies to offer them “perks” like additional guidance and support through EAP services.
Gen Z workers are nearly twice as likely to call in sick than “Boomers”, a study found, with the majority of young workers doing so with minimum physical symptoms. It found Gen Z workers take an average of 14.3 sick days per year, compared to “Boomers” with 8.9 sick days.
One of the most significant factors driving this trend is a shift in attitudes towards work-life balance. Unlike older generations who might have prided themselves on never taking a sick day, Gen Z is more likely to prioritise their wellbeing over clocking in, no matter what. This generation has grown up with a greater awareness of mental health issues and the importance of self-care, and they’re not shy about putting these principles into practice.
Views on mental health
According to a Deloitte study, Gen Z workers feel that they are not getting the mental health support they need in the workplace and believe their ideas about how work impacts their mental health differ from those of their bosses.
The reason for this trend of increasing use of mental health services and reporting mental health being poor is likely threefold:
• Increased stress: Life has introduced a different variety of stressors, leading to increased psychological concerns and more need for services for mental health.
• Increased awareness: Awareness of mental health issues has grown so that what once might have been ignored is recognized as a problem and treated as such.
• Decreased stigma: Stigma around using mental health services has lessened, making it more likely that Gen Z will identify their own issues and seek help when they feel they have a mental health problem that can be treated.
The increased usage of therapy by Gen Z is a result of this generation being more open about their mental health. Being more aware of and accepting of mental health concerns in general will lead to more open discussion about psychological problems and how to manage stress.
The need for EAP support
Long-term health issues and sickness because of poor mental health is on the rise. The thing about absenteeism is that it has a knock-on effect to other colleagues and really hits the bottom line. There is less and less support for people in the public sphere, and it now falls on line managers who are often ill-equipped to deal with mental health challenges.
Dealing with absenteeism, and particularly sickness absenteeism among Gen Zers, should be a priority for organisations to avoid paying the price in absenteeism and underperformance.
