How Women Are Advocating For Mental Health PTO In The Workplace
A once-taboo subject is finally getting its due. Mental health can range from depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and so much more. While most jobs don’t acknowledge the importance of mental health, many people advocate for Paid Time Off (PTO) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). With those available resources, it would promote a healthier environment for people to work, as they’d be in a clearer headspace knowing they have that security.
Her Agenda spoke with a few women about how women have been advocating for PTO and FMLA and they are shattering the stigma and mindset of decades past.
In What Ways Are Women Normalizing Mental Health Days?
“We’re not just normalizing mental health days — we’re reclaiming them as a form of strategic leadership and personal sovereignty,” said Patrice Williams-Lindo, CEO of Career Nomad. “I’ve taken to putting it directly in my out-of-office replies: ‘Taking a mental health sabbath — back Monday.’ That simple line sends a signal to my team, clients, and peers that rest isn’t a weakness — it’s a boundary. It’s non-negotiable.”
We’ve been programmed to think that rest is laziness and a lack of ambition, but with advocacy comes knowledge. Today we know that you can’t function properly without the proper amount of rest, and your body will tell you in many ways. Mental health days are essential for your body to decompress and for your brain to rest and reset.
What Are The Challenges Women Face In Advocating For Themselves?
“One of the biggest is internal: the fear of being seen as replaceable, weak, or ‘too emotional’,” said Ceal “Coach Kb” Starks, founder & CEO of Ready to Live Soap Therapy, 11-Year Certified Mindset Coach. “And for women of color, that pressure is even greater. We’ve been conditioned to endure, to multitask through the stress, and to push rest to the bottom of the list. Advocating for mental health PTO means confronting not only workplace culture, but generational expectations.”
There will always be challenges, however according to Lean In, Black women are promoted at a significantly lower rate than white women at the first step up to manager, and more than a quarter of Black women say their race has led to them missing out on an opportunity to advance. This makes PTO and FMLA more necessary for mental breaks and self care.
How Are Employers Responding?
“Thankfully, on the positive side, employers have increased mental health benefits, stress management resources, and coverage in the past five years including in many cases PTO for mental health reasons or family care reasons,” said Leslie Forde, CEO and founder at Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs LLC. “And FMLA leaves unrelated to parental leave are on the rise, largely because of mental health needs in the workforce.”
Additionally, Leslie said Employee Resource Groups are on the rise as well, and it offers for many a ‘safe space’ to make requests as a group, versus facing the vulnerability or possible recrimination from asking directly for PTO or other support for their mental health and wellbeing.
What Does Advocating Mean For Mental Health And Black Women?
“Women — especially Black and Brown women — are often labeled as ‘too emotional’ when we speak up, and ‘not committed enough’ when we step back,” said Elika Dadsetan, CEO and executive director at VISIONS,Inc. “Advocating for mental health means challenging deeply ingrained norms around productivity, self-worth, and white-dominant workplace culture. It takes courage to resist burnout in environments that are still catching up to the idea that rest is resistance — and that it’s not a luxury.”
Though it is a fight to advocate and get ridiculed, advocacy is strong and resilient. Joining forces with organizations, making your voice heard, creating petitions, and actively making your presence and campaign known online are all positive ways to ensure that changes are put in place, and are driven forward.
