What is a doona day?

We all know that “doona day” feeling. It’s when you just can’t seem to garner the motivation to get going and would prefer to shut off the alarm, turn over and go back to sleep.

When people feel like this, some will call in sick – even though they’re not – to be able to take the day off. However, to avoid this sort of absence, many companies have formalised doona days into their terms of employment. 

What is a doona day?

A doona day is one of a number of days that an employee can take off without notice in advance. They are built into the annual holiday allowance and can be taken whenever the employee wants a day off, but isn’t sick and hasn't already requested annual leave. The employee contacts their employer to advise that they are taking a doona day and there’s no requirement for them to give any sort of excuse for wanting the day off.

The concept of "duvet day" has been around in the UK since 1997, and now it's becoming a more recent development in Australia.

They are not universally popular. Some people say they increase Idleness and a lack of responsibility for overindulgence the night before, setting a precedent which can all too easily become a norm in the workplace.

The benefits of having doona days

The idea behind doona days is that they can reduce the number of sick leave taken, especially those where the employee isn’t really sick, but rather “pulling a sickie”. 

They can be an attractive benefit to employees, so can be added to your company’s benefits package to entice employees to come and work for you. If your industry is particularly competitive, or you suffer from a shortage of certain skills, then this may be just the kind of incentive that will draw potential staff to come and work for you.

Some people say doona days can actually enhance productivity. That’s because staff feel that they are being treated with respect. They are being allowed to decide if they don’t want to work that day rather than having to call in and pretend to be sick or somehow otherwise justify their need for leave.

Instead of calling in and having to make up an excuse for being off, the employee self-designating a doona day allows them to be decent and honest. Equally, if an employee is simply not in the right frame of mind to come into work, it can be argued that they are better staying off anyway.

Are doona days always a good idea?

One school of thought holds that the doona day simply panders to people’s laziness. We all occasionally yearn to just stay in bed, but if we don’t have the luxury of doona days, then we have to fight those urges and get up and go into work.

Certainly, if you don’t feel you have to offer any additional perks to be able to attract and retain staff, then doonadays may not be right for your company. 

Incorporating doona days within your business

If you want to add doona days in your business, then you should provision for these in your company policy documents. You could also add them to employee contracts but it would then be harder to rescind if you decided they are not benefitting your employees or company. Implementing doona days by way of policy provides a way of 'testing the water' which will allow you to monitor how often they are requested and the impact they have on your business. 

If you do decide to offer doona days, first decide on the number which will be provided. Many companies who do make them available, offer a limited number; maybe one or two per year. Make sure these are written up in policy documents or contracts as appropriate. 

You may also need to specify times of the year or days of the week when doona days cannot be taken. Perhaps there are times when the uncertainty of whether or not staff will be in could cause too much disruption to your business. Many companies will disallow doona days after major sporting events, so that they are not suddenly understaffed.

In many cases though, staff will respect the needs of the business and will exercise common sense in taking doona days simply because this kind of perk is one that bolsters morale.