Nearly three out of four Indian professionals You’re still hesitant to be transparent about taking time off Mental health The reasons, according to a new survey.

Hesitation appears in different ways. Nearly half – 45% – said they would simply consider it general sick leave. Only 28% felt comfortable explaining why. Up to 19% would prefer to avoid taking time off at all, while 9% would give a reason, the survey by Naukri showed, which obtained responses from 19,650 job seekers across 80 industries ahead of World Mental Health Day.

The greatest fear is seen as inability, a concern shared by 31% of participants. Furthermore, 27% worry about peer judgment, while 21% fear being dismissed as someone making excuses. 21% believe that this may affect their career growth.
When it comes to what actually impacts mental health at work, it’s bad Work-life balance Tops the list with 39% Micromanaging heads They were not far behind at 30%, followed by lack of recognition at 22% and fear of making mistakes at 10%. When asked which individual intervention would help most, 60% cited flexible work options, which largely precede stress management workshops (22%), paid mental health days (10%), or management training (9%).

While work-life balance issues dominate overall, some sectors tell a different story. In pharmacy, more than one in four professionals say a lack of recognition is harming their mental health. In KPO and research roles, he is the head of micromanagement – ​​mentioned by about a third of respondents, 33%.

The comfort level with transparency varies sharply by career stage. Freshmen and early-career professionals (0-5 years) are the most guarded – only about 25% describe a mental health day as what it is, while 43% code it as sick leave. Among senior professionals, nearly 40% said they would be open about this. Career stage changes the nature of these concerns. Early-career professionals (about 30%) worry most about appearing incapable, while those with more than 15 years of experience worry most about peer judgment, at 40%. When asked what would really help, the answer was clear: flexibility. More than 60% said flexible hours would make the biggest difference. Demand is highest in emerging technologies (71%) and business process outsourcing (61%), sectors where long or irregular working hours are part of the job.

Senior professionals over the age of 15 show a slight shift in preferences, with one in three preferring stress management workshops. However, among early and mid-career professionals, 63% cite flexibility as their top choice over formal training.