Mental health is still an issue in the workplace
Great article.  A few years ago (at a previous job) I took a sick day for "sanity", but told them I wasn't feeling well.  I felt guilty about doing it.  I think part of it is the association of sick leave with externally visible medical issues, and the corresponding "straightforward" medical verification.<p>In other words, if you have a temperature or are vomiting, that's obvious.  Many infections or physical injury can be trivially verified by a doctor.  But a "sanity day", as truthful and necessary as it might be, is neither of those.<p>Out of curiosity, I checked my current employment contract.  It says sick leave is for "A personal illness, injury or medical disability that prevents the employee from performing his or her job, or personal medical or dental appointments." or "Exposure of the employee to contagious disease when attendance at work would jeopardize the health of others." There's a dozen or so other cases listed in the contract, mostly about allowing sick leave to care for sick family members/children.  Our contract also allows for verification, "If the Employer suspects abuse, the Employer may require a written medical certificate for any sick leave absence."<p>I've never heard of anyone here being asked for a verification, but it would tend to discourage people doing the "sanity day" sort of thing.