Duvet Days

Should You Offer Employees Duvet Days?

How do you know if your employees need a “duvet day”? What is that? Should your company promote this day, or should you recognize it at all?

Let’s take a look at what a duvet day is, its importance in the workplace, and how you can incorporate a related policy into your employee handbook.

What is a duvet day?

A bed day is a period of time separate from vacation during which an employee can take time off without prior notice. It is often granted spontaneously and could just as easily be considered a self-care day.

It is not the same as a sick day for several reasons. Think of it more like an approved, (usually) paid, one-day vacation. This is what they are:

• They are typically built into an employee’s compensation package
• They are part of the annual holiday allowance
• They do not need to be announced in advance (although companies prefer this).

Where does the term “Duvet Day” come from?

Duvet Days are a relatively new concept, developed in 1997 by the British company August One Communications. Over the years, the concept has become increasingly popular in the United Kingdom and is now gaining ground in the United States.

Why do Duvet Days exist?

There is an unknown quote that says, “If you don’t choose a day to relax, your body will choose it for you.”

When we put pressure on ourselves – physically or mentally – there is bound to be a breaking point. This is exactly why Duvet Days were created. Instead of constantly pushing themselves to the point of burnout or collapse, employees can take a day – planned or not – to rest and reset.

How duvet days improve the workplace

The benefits of duvet days are obvious: an employee can take a day off when they need the extra time to relax and not have to worry about lost wages. But that is not all. They can also have a positive impact on many factors in the workplace, from employee health and well-being to employee retention and communication.

Here’s how duvet days can improve the workplace at all levels:

1.Improves employee mental health

Workplace stress is increasing in the UK, with 79% of working adults experiencing work-related stress. Some of the most common stressors for employees include work-related politics, lack of communication, and the work performance of others.

Stress can easily build up to the point of burnout and cause employee morale, motivation and productivity to decline, sometimes leading to them leaving the company altogether.

Still, 36% of adults believe that duvet days help combat stress and anxiety and give them the opportunity to regain lost motivation, time, sleep and energy.

2.Encourages honesty, reduces stigma

Stress and mental health are not easy topics to address in the workplace. Ninety-five percent of employees have signed off from work due to stress but gave their employer another reason for their absence.

This can make the situation even worse. If an employer offers blanket days, employees don’t have to fake a cough or illness to get time off. Instead, they get the time off they want without having to lie to their employer – or even give a reason.

Ultimately, this creates a climate of openness and honesty that can impact every relationship in the workplace.

3.Increases employee performance

There is no doubt that a relaxing vacation allows you to recharge and gain new strength. The same applies to a short vacation, albeit on a smaller scale.

A single day placed on a weekend can give workers enough time to relax and recharge, increasing their productivity and motivation when they return to work.

The simple fact that an employee gets more sleep on their day off can improve their brain performance and productivity. This is particularly true for women, 24% of whom struggle to complete projects at work after a sleepless night.

4.Attracting top talent

More comprehensive, competitive benefits around duvet days and wellness in general can help attract in-demand talent to your team.

They are more likely to accept a job if the company offers a fitness and wellness package, and 65% of employees would be more likely to accept a job if the company specifically offers Duvet Days.

Another interesting fact is that, according to a joint study by Dreams and Lough-borough University, 33% of employees say they would be less likely to look for another job if their employer offered sleep support.

5.Reduced absenteeism

While it may seem counterproductive to give employees more days off to reduce absenteeism, it can pay off in the long run. Among British workers, poor mental health and stress are two of the most common causes of long-term absence from work.

Offering your employees Duvet Days throughout the year can help reduce long-term absences as it gives them the opportunity to manage and improve their stress or poor mental health, rather than letting the stress build up and culminates in long-term absence.

6.Leads to happier, healthier employees

However an employee uses their Duvet Day, it is likely to have a positive impact on their career prospects and overall well-being.

Just knowing that they have the opportunity to book such a day gives them a more positive attitude towards their employer, while the extra rest on their day off can increase their productivity and motivation.

Are duvet days right for your business?

Although Duvet Day is known as a Millennial-inspired workplace perk, companies of all sizes and with employees of all ages can benefit from it. If any of the following scenarios sound familiar, it might be time to consider adopting a policy:

Dwindling employee productivity

Are employees’ tasks being pushed further and further back? Declining productivity is often a sign of an overwhelming workload, which can easily lead to burnout.

Duvet days are not a long-term solution to the problem of burnout, but can be used in conjunction with managing work overload to provide employees with a better work-life balance.

Increase in sickness reports

Are you starting to doubt the validity of your employees’ sick days? If one or more employees have been taking more sick days recently and citing their illness as the reason, there may be a larger problem.

As mentioned above, many employees don’t feel comfortable talking about mental health issues in the workplace or admitting that they feel overworked.

First, arrange a meeting with individual employees who continually ask for sick days and get to the bottom of the problem in an open and honest conversation.

Lack of employee engagement

Stress and burnout can also impact employee engagement. If they feel undervalued or overloaded, they may begin to turn away from their work and those around them. Duvet Days are just one piece of the employee engagement puzzle. For optimal results, combine them with comprehensive wellness offerings, professional development support, social events, and recognition for hard work or achievements.

When should you not offer duvet days?

Your company may already have paid leave in place for mental health, self-care, or wellness days. In this case, down comforter days may be unnecessary as they address the core of the same issues.

How to incorporate duvet days into your employee handbook

By including a formal policy in your employee handbook, you can encourage your employees to take advantage of these special days off instead of burning out or feeling like they have to call in sick to get time off.

As with any other policy, establishing clear and consistent policies around blanket days in the workplace will eliminate any confusion among the team and encourage employees to take the days off without hesitation or added stress.

• Consider the following factors when developing your company’s comforter day policy:
• How many down blanket days are allowed per year and per employee?
• Are they paid?
• Are they included in annual leave or separate from it?
• Can all employees take duvet days, or does it depend on the type of employment (full-time, part-time or temporary)?
• Are there certain times of the year when employees cannot take Duvet Days (e.g. due to workload, busy season, etc.)?
• Will unused Duvet Days be carried over to the next year or will they expire?
• Can employees take a day off any day of the week?
• Are probationary employees entitled to Duvet Days?
• Does entitlement increase with seniority?
• Do Duvet Days have to be booked in advance or can they be taken at the last minute?
• Is there a cap on the number of employees who can take a day at the same time?

Tracking and recording bed days for employees

With the right systems in place, recording absences can be as stress-free for you as it is for the employee.

IceHrm’s absence management software provides easy tracking of things like absence days by reviewing and approving absence requests, managing absences, tracking trends, and reporting on individual and collective absences in the workplace.