The Daily Ping

FROM: Joseph
DATE: Friday July 29, 2005 -- 9:27:53 am

Now that I have a job with fringe benefits, taking a mental health day seems like more of a possibility. When I got paid by the hour and had no benefits, taking a day off meant no pay, which, owing to my financial situation, was not good for my mental health at all.

Of course, no one else really can do my job at the office, so if I take time off, my "in box" only gets bigger--found that out in May, when I took my first paid vacation.

But it's nice knowing it's available if I need it.

FROM: snaily
DATE: Friday July 29, 2005 -- 4:58:07 pm

it sounds like a good idea, but taking a mental health day off for me would probably be torture. my mental health would get worse, just because of boredom. that is, unless i filled up my time with something else.

FROM: Merle [E-Mail]
DATE: Sunday August 7, 2005 -- 4:09:11 pm

Usually I go to Target (or some other place that is way too crowded on non-weekday-days), then out for Thai or Indian in some far off suburb.

Then return home to read or veg in front of the TV.

And swelter in the heat, wondering why I was stupid enough to take a day of in the middle of bloody summer when my apartment is not air-conditioned but work is.

That does wonders for my mental health.

Of course, I write software for mental health agencies, so, in some sense, every day is a "mental health" day. Some are just more relaxing.

FROM: Laurie
DATE: Thursday August 11, 2005 -- 3:55:22 am

I have to say that I am guilty of it, but many times when I have, I have ended up sick shortly afterwards and where I work, if you call out of work twice within a 90 day period, they can write you up for it. So it has come back to kick me later when I have played sick.

FROM: Merle [E-Mail]
DATE: Thursday August 11, 2005 -- 12:07:47 pm

They chide you for being sick two whole days in a row?

That's a stupid policy. Many illnesses take more than one day to recover from. I'll bet a lot of people come into work when they're still contagious... making other workers sick. Great.