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More than one-third of Australian workers have taken leave for more than four consecutive weeks for reasons other than a holiday, and for many the return is far from smooth, highlighting how important it is for organisations to offer proactive support.

The research, conducted by Seek, has found the most common reasons for taking leave apart from travel are mental health challenges (24%), parental leave (24%), physical illness or injury (21%) and a career break (15%). And a third of employees who have taken non-holiday leave say they didn't keep in contact with their employer during their time off.

Seek's chief people and culture officer Kathleen McCudden says some employees will want a complete break from work, however making "a real effort" to accommodate those who wish to keep in touch is really important...