The National:

AS a recent Holyrood candidate and having worked in two Parliaments and Scotland’s independence campaign I’m well versed in the demands and expectations of frontline politics. But few will ever experience the day-to-day scrutiny and media spotlight that Nicola Sturgeon and her Cabinet have endured over the past year.

Humza Yousaf was right to take a break – without justification. Had he been single with no family commitments he would have equally been entitled to switch off. Instead he felt obliged to explain his family circumstances and validate his decisions.

Those who criticise people in high pressure jobs for going on holiday should think carefully about the message this sends to employers across the country at a time when many of us are working longer hours from home. Research is clear that since Covid struck we’ve been spending longer at our desks with less structure to our days and facing a larger workload.

And they should also think carefully about what message it sends about jobs in politics, which are often dominated by toxic stress and poor work-life balance. Indeed, this culture partly led to the early departure of some talented MSPs in the previous parliament.

Politics of course is very different now from what it was 15 years ago. The social media age has drastically altered our expectations of politicians – we like them to be visible 24/7 and promptly reply to our tweets and emails on top of their actual work in committees, the chamber and their constituencies.

You might argue that the pressure and long hours come with the job – they do. But no job makes you invincible to stress, worry and ill health. Behind the confident performances we see on camera lie real people, each with their insecurities and fragilities and unique story to tell.

READ MORE: Humza Yousaf hits back as Tories attack him for taking a 'few days' holiday'

As we all know, there’s no such thing as "job done" – our inbox will always replenish itself and there will always be another task at hand. That’s why we need to be aware of our limits and put boundaries in place to protect our mental and physical health and be kind to our family. But it’s equally incumbent on employers to put policies in place to safeguard the wellbeing of their staff and readjust expectations.

Increasingly we’ve seen politicians and their employees speak out about their mental health – while their honesty and openness is welcome, it raises serious questions about workplace culture in our parliaments, local authorities and party HQs. It should not be accepted or acceptable that high pressure jobs, like politics, should make people unwell. And if action is not taken on toxic stress, it may dissuade people from seeking public office.

Mental ill health costs Scottish employers £2 billion per year. In 2017 over one and a quarter million working days were lost due to self-reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety – that’s around half of all working days lost due to ill health that year. Investing in support is therefore in the interest of employers, not just employees.

Action 36 of the Mental Health Strategy commits the Scottish Government to work with employers across Scotland to improve workplace wellbeing. Scotland’s institutions, Ministers and political parties therefore have a duty to lead by example.

Work can be key to our wellbeing. It gives us purpose and structure as well as income and social connection. But it can also be the cause of illness unless we balanced it, find purpose outside of work, and embrace the things that truly matter in our lives.

Toni Giugliano is a former parliamentary candidate and works for a leading mental health charity