What is stress leave in Canada?

Stress leave is when an employee takes an extended period of time off from work in order to heal from the physical and emotional toll of life. Stress leave can also be called mental health leave in some companies.

Reasons for taking mental health leave may vary, but the issue is that the employee has too much stress in their life in order to do their job properly. By taking time off from work the person is able to recover from stress and come back to work and continue their job in an efficient manner.

Stress leave in Canada is often referred to as medical leave or mental health leave, depending on the province or territory. Either way, the idea is that the employee is taking time off to attend to their own health.

Here are some of the signs and symptoms of stress that you should be aware of:

• Body tension
• Headaches
• Body pain
• Loss of sleep
• High blood pressure
• Feeling uneasy
• Excessive worrying

If you or one of your employees are showing these signs while at work they might be suffering from stress. It is important to approach them to talk about these issues to see if taking a medical leave or stress leave would be right for them.

Reasons for taking stress leave

There are numerous reasons for taking a leave of absence from work. Stress can come in many forms, so each case might be a little bit different. The following are some of the reasons people might take stress leave from work.

• Issues with working conditions. This can include high workloads and long hours of work. This also could be due to the physical environment if the office is too loud with a lot of different things going on at once.
• General job stress. This can happen when workers feel pressure to always perform at a high standard. Not being able to turn off at the end of the day can also be considered general job-related stress. Some people will work even when at home and when this happens their stress can increase.
• Hostile work environment. Sometimes without realizing it we’ve created a hostile work environment which can cause employees to have greater amounts of stress. Having workplace bullies for example, can cause others to feel very uncomfortable and stress levels will go up. 
• Life-related stress. This is when the personal life of an employee is causing added stress. This could be something like having a sick family member or going through a divorce. When the personal lives of our employees are stressful this can affect their ability to work properly.
• Financial stress. When people go through financial stress such as going through a divorce, it can affect the rest of their lives, including their work life. If bills are piling up, then it can be very difficult to relax as your brain is constantly worrying making things like regular work harder to concentrate on.
• Mental health issues. If someone is struggling with mental health issues like depression, it can be very stressful. It is very difficult for people with depression to do work and this inability can then add to their stress. Poor concentration is associated with a variety of mental health issues which is why it can be so stressful to be going through something like this while still working.

When looking at stress leave in Canada it is important to know some of the reasons why people might take time off. If you have an employee who needs to take time off for stress, talk to them about the reasons so that the communication between you and the employee says open. You want to help your employee as much as possible so that these problems do not get worse. Next, we will discuss why offering stress leave can help your company.

Related: Bullying in the Workplace

How stress leave in Canada works

Most workplaces will offer stress leave in the way of a leave of absence. Stress leave in BC, for example, can be taken under Illness or Injury leave (formally known as sick leave). This type of leave allows employees to take up to five paid days and 3 unpaid days of leave where their job would be protected.

This type of stress leave in BC can be taken with or without advanced notice. This means that your employees can ask for this leave without planning or talking to you first. This is important to know so that if something suddenly happens to an employee you know they have the right to immediately get the care that they need.

In Ontario, for example, stress leave could be taken as the allotted three days of unpaid leave that the government has regulated for employees. Here too, the employee’s job is protected which makes it easy for them to take it without added stress or anxiety about the possibility of losing their jobs.

If your employee needs more time off, you are always able to give them a leave of absence. Though this leave of absence would not be paid, it would mean they would have the time to recover from their stress or mental illness.

If a worker does want to take a leave of absence, they can use their employment insurance to cover up to 15 weeks of wages. This can be very handy when the stress is quite severe and the employee needs an extended period of time off.

Though each province is slightly different, the above regulations are similar throughout Canada. Make sure to check with the local regulators as to how many unpaid sick days your employees can take.

All of this being said, it could be beneficial to your company if you offer stress leave to your employees.

Why offering stress leave is important

Offering stress leave to your employees can be beneficial to your company in the following ways.

Increased Employee Retention

By offering stress leave or mental health leave to your employees you are showing that you care for their well-being. This will make them want to keep working for you as they know they will be taken care of if something in their life goes wrong. People like to work for companies that take care of their employees and offering stress leave is one way in which you can show that you care.

Increased Productivity

When people are stressed they are less likely to be performing at their peak. People who are struggling with stress often find it hard to concentrate which means that their work suffers. By offering stress leave, you are providing an opportunity for them to heal and then come back with renewed energy. This renewed energy will boost their productivity levels and your company will benefit from their having the time to deal with their issues.

Increased Employee Engagement

When employees feel as though their needs are being met, they tend to be happy. Happy employees will be more engaged at work and you will find that it is a lot easier to get them to do their work. Also, if an employee does have to go on stress leave, they will come back happier and more engaged. This means that giving stress leave to your employees can be a win-win.

Create a Positive Work Environment

When employees have the freedom to take time off when they are stressed, they are less likely to wait until the problem is too big to handle. This means in general, people in the office are pleasant to be around as they have less total stress. The workplace will become a positive environment where people can work and interact without problems arising. Simply by taking care of the mental health of your workers, you have improved the atmosphere which will benefit the company in many ways.

All of these benefits can be seen when you are able to add stress leave to what you offer your employees. 

Related: Employee Benefits Program: A Guide to Benefits That Motivate Your Workers