Workers Aren’t Taking Time Off When They Need It for Fear of Being Judged by Their Supervisor

• A recent report from Skynova found that 4 in 10 people have not taken a sick day since they began working remotely.  
• The report found that some companies have implemented stricter time-off policies since switching to remote work models.  
• 46% of respondents would like to see a monthly mental health day allotment from their employer – with the majority of respondents suggesting one or two days per month is fair. 

Remote work has altered our attitudes toward time off and sick days. Skynova surveyed over 1,000 employees who started working from home during the pandemic in order to understand how they approached taking sick days.

The Sick Days and Time Off, Remote Worker Edition survey found:  

• 4 in 10 people have not taken a sick day since they began remote work 
• 31% of people say they’ve taken an unofficial sick day (a sick day without telling their boss) 
• 62% of people in work environments whose time off policy got stricter talked themselves out of a workday, versus only 42% of people in work environments where the time-off policy didn’t change 
• One-third of people worry their supervisors will be suspicious of them for taking time off during remote work, and 27% of people worry their supervisors will judge them 
• 62% of respondents say they’ve worked through physical illness, and 42% say they’ve worked from home while mentally ill 
• Respondents who had taken more sick days and not worked through mental or physical illness while working from home reported higher rates of job satisfaction and productivity 

Time-Off Policies 

While 67% of employees said there have been no changes to their time-off policy since switching to a remote work model, 18% said their employer has become stricter.  

57% of employees reported having to sign an agreement that clearly defined their expectations and responsibilities as a remote employee. People who had an agreement were less likely to report high work satisfaction and productivity than those who did not have an agreement. 

According to the Pew Research study, younger employees have found it particularly difficult to stay motivated while working from home – with 53% of those aged 18 to 29 years old saying so.  

Taking Time When It’s Needed  

Nearly half of respondents said they’ve used about the same number of sick days during the pandemic as they did before the health crisis. However, those who’d taken more sick days reported the highest level of job satisfaction (62%). 

Occasionally, workers claimed sick days in order to accomplish other things. 40% had used a sick day to get work done around the house, while 39% used their days off for family emergencies and child care.  

Since working remotely reduces your exposure to others (and therefore your chance of infecting them), 71% of respondents think it’s appropriate to take a sick day to recover from surgery, 68% said if you have the flu, and 65% felt it suitable to take a day to cope with mental health issues. People also said it was appropriate to use a sick day to care for a sick child (64%) or to deal with a family emergency (64%). 

Perceptions of Sick Days While Working from Home 

While working from home, 50% of respondents had talked themselves out of using a sick day, which might be due to the fact that 33% of respondents believed their supervisor would be suspicious of their reasons for taking time off, while 27% had concerns about being judged lazy or otherwise.  

Similar percentages believed their co-workers would react in the same way. 62% of employees had worked from home despite a physical illness, while 48% had worked through mental health issues. 

33% of employees said their mental health has improved since working from home, in comparison to 44% who’d seen no change and 24% experiencing a decline to their mental health. 

In the U.S., the number of adults experiencing anxiety and/or depressive disorder symptoms rose from 11% in January 2019 to 41% in January 2021, showing just how many Americans have struggled with their mental health since the start of the pandemic.  

Getting Back to the Office 

Even though 45% of employees were ambivalent on the subject (due to the fact that their time off policies remained the same throughout the pandemic), 29% are looking forward to returning to the office and their normal PTO policies.  

In general, respondents believed WFH employees should have the same sick day policies as on-site workers, with 61% rejecting the idea that remote employees should receive half days off in lieu of sick days. 

When it comes to mental health in a post-pandemic world, 46% of respondents would like to see a monthly mental health day allotment from their employer – with the majority of respondents suggesting one or two days per month is fair. 

Time Away Keeps Stress at Bay  

While most workers’ time-off policies remained unchanged during the pandemic, fewer are taking sick days and many are still seeing barriers to taking time off.  

Taking time for physical and mental health is important for every worker’s well-being. Those who don’t work when they are experiencing physical or mental illness report higher levels of productivity and job satisfaction.  

Almost half of people would prefer a monthly mental health day provided by their employer, and that seems telling as 1 in 4 people report a decline in mental health since working remotely.

As many companies continue experimenting with different work models, time off policies will likely evolve. Knowing that 33% of employees worry their supervisor will be suspicious of time off requests would be an important factor to consider as those policies change, according to Skynova.