CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – Common Market, a bar, convenience store and sandwich shop in South End, is giving their employees a day off for every Monday in January.
One of the owners, Graham Worth, said they started “Mental Health Mondays” to give their employees a break from working nonstop during the pandemic, especially after dealing with staff shortages, mask mandates and other stressors over the past two years.
“People just felt kind of burnt out,” explained Worth.
“It wears on you to have rude customers or something else… that we encounter more frequently than we would like.”
Juliet Kuehnle, a licensed mental health therapist in Charlotte, said this is not only positive for employees but could be the start of a future trend.
“The big secret is when you give your employees these mental health days and you show them that they’re valued and that their wellness matters, they end up being much more bought in and their productivity and everything actually improves – teamwork, productivity improves – so I love it,” she said.
One customer, Dani Congdon, who also works in the service industry, said she wants it to happen where she works.
“It would be amazing…it makes them feel appreciated, cared for and gives them time to focus on themselves as well,” she said.
Worth said though this is not a paid day off, tenured hourly employees can use their PTO days to take the day as paid.
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