然而，心理健康休假的增加也给企业带来了资源和营运上的挑战。与产假不同，因心理健康问题休假的员工通常无法提前通知经理，使雇主面临人手调配的困难。根据估算，全职员工缺勤一天的生产力损失约为每日 340 美元，这在全美每年累计造成高达 476 亿美元的生产力损失损失。
为了应对休假人次上升及潜在的滥用风险，许多企业正在重新审视其福利政策，并试图借由加强预防性资源来缓解负担。约三分之一的美国雇主已扩大员工协助方案，提供线上咨商或认知行为治疗，部分企业更引入正念冥想等工具，旨在于员工状况恶化至需要长期休假前提供适时的协助。
In recent years, the number of employees requesting mental health leaves and accommodations in the US has risen significantly. According to a survey by employment law specialists Littler Mendelson, about 67% of US employers reported an increase in such requests over the past year. Under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), workers facing severe anxiety and burnout can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave, which has become a vital lifeline for many on the brink of collapse.
However, the increase in mental health leaves has posed resource and operational challenges for businesses. Unlike parental leaves, employees taking time off for mental health conditions often cannot provide their managers with advance notice, making staffing difficult. It is estimated that a missed workday costs about $340 per day for a full-time worker, translating to an annual productivity loss of $47.6 billion in the US.
To address the rising number of leaves and potential policy abuse, many companies are reassessing their benefit policies and trying to ease the burden by strengthening preventative resources. About a third of US employers have expanded their employee assistance programs to offer online counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy, and some have introduced mindfulness tools to help workers before their issues escalate into prolonged leaves.