Asking Eric: Mandatory mental health days stress employee

August 30, 2026 - 12:48

Dear Eric: Once a year, my employer pushes a group day off with coworkers, calling it a mental health day. The idea sounds fine on paper, but the reality is stressful. We are told to join a team activity, usually a hike or a volunteer project, and attendance is strongly suggested. No one says it is required, but everyone knows that skipping it looks bad.

The problem is that a true mental health day should be about rest and choice. Forcing people to spend a full day together, often on a weekend or a holiday, does not feel like a break. It feels like another work event with a different label. I come back more tired than before, and I have less time to actually recharge on my own.

I have tried to talk to my manager about this, but the response is always that the day is meant to build morale. That may work for some people, but for those of us who are introverted or dealing with personal issues, it does the opposite. I would rather have the option to take a personal day when I need it, not on a set schedule that suits the company.

I am not ungrateful for the gesture, but I wish leadership would ask employees what they actually need. A forced day off is not the same as a supportive policy. I would trade the group event for a simple note saying, take a day when you need it, no questions asked. That would do more for my stress than any scheduled outing.