HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Harris County is exploring giving employees a new type of paid time off for mental health.
After taking a leave of absence for mental health in 2023, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has been vocal about it since her return. The latest discussion came up Thursday in commissioners court, where she explored the idea of creating county worker paid time off for mental health.
Hidalgo said it’s not necessarily for people with a diagnosed mental condition, but anyone who feels stressed.
“Whether you’re working with foster kids,” Hidalgo explained. “Whether you’re working with victims of domestic violence, with the elderly, with veterans, … that stuff is heavy. You might need a day just to clear your mind.”
The county already offers some mental health days. The judge’s office said the sheriff’s office receives mental health time following incidents.
Harris Health gets time off, too. Three years ago, according to the judge’s office, 2,068 mental health hours were used. Last year, it jumped to 10,438.
“Doing nothing costs more than doing something,” Hidalgo said. “This is a really good start that we can do for our community to take away the stigma.”
The World Health Organization said 15% of workers have diagnosed mental disorders. Their data shows globally, 12 billion working days are lost because of mental health.
In the U.S., the organization said a trillion dollars in productivity is lost each year because of it.
Creating a new paid time off would cost money, but county leaders say they don’t yet know how much.
“The cost will largely depend on if we’re creating two new days as part of our bank, or are we designating two existing days as part of our bank,” Harris County budget director Daniel Ramos said.
Some government bodies in Texas already offer mental health days. The city of Dallas’ website shows employees get five days a year.
Fort Bend County records show workers can get one wellness day a year.
“If it’s not going to make a difference, that’s one thing,” Hidalgo said. “I think it will, but obviously we need to look at the data.”
County leaders plan to discuss the cost and what mental health sick days could look like at their August meeting. If the policy were adopted, Hidalgo said she’d like it to start this fall, with the new fiscal year.
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