This woman got a surprising response from her boss after she took off a few days for her mental health
By now, you should know that self-care is incredibly important — especially when it comes to your mental health. Unfortunately, many employers fail to understand the importance of taking a mental health day or two — probably because unlike a cold, the symptoms aren’t visible.
That’s why it’s so refreshing to read this tweet from Madalyn Parker, a web developer from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Parker screencapped an e-mail that she sent to her team. In it, she detailed her need to take a few days to focus on herself and her mental health.
Instead of fifteen questions about whether or not that was actually important, Parker’s boss responded in such a refreshing way.
When the CEO responds to your out of the office email about taking sick leave for mental health and reaffirms your decision. 💯 pic.twitter.com/6BvJVCJJFq
— madalyn (@madalynrose) June 30, 2017
Parker mentioned that she works for a company called Olark, which runs a live chat platform. And, it seems like Olark definitely practices what they preach — on their website, they openly state that they “believe the world is a better place when everyone helps each other.”
Not only is the tweet a great way to let us know about Olark’s incredible practices, but it’s helped give hope to others who are suffering. false
Finding a job is tough, but finding one with obstacles you’re already fighting against is, for many, next to impossible. Parker’s CEO, Ben Congleton, actually wrote an article for Medium after the tweet started going viral, because he simply couldn’t believe that his response was that out of the ordinary.
"It's 2017," Congleton said. "I cannot believe that it is still controversial to speak about mental health in the workplace when 1 in 6 Americans are medicated for mental health."
So true.
But, it’s not just Congleton who’s speaking out. Parker has been open about her mental health for quite some time.
scene: 6:15am, my bedroom
me: asleep, dreaming pleasant things
brain: no wake up! depression has v important things for you to consider rn
— madalyn (@madalynrose) September 9, 2016
In doing so, she’s making it clear that those who suffer aren’t alone — and that they can move forward. She even states on her profile that she’s a mental health advocate. She also made a point to call out a few great resources for those who may need them.
If you are interested in making strides w/ respect to mental health at your job, check out @OSMIhelp, @MHPrompt, @ifmeorg, @MHFirstAidUSA
— madalyn (@madalynrose) July 11, 2017
We hope that other employers take note. Mental health matters, and employees who are allowed to take some time for themselves will only help make their companies shine.