![With proper support, mental illness need not be an impedement in the workplace. Photo: PA [posed by model]](https://media.prospectmagazine.co.uk/prod/images/gm_preview/e73eeeb5a604-pa-37914778-e1548262198824.jpg)
With proper support, mental illness need not be an impediment in the workplace. Photo: PA [posed by model]The fact that only 5 per cent of people with a severe mental illness like schizophrenia are in regular work is worrying—but it’s probably a statistic that few employers think is relevant to them and their workforce. Severe and complex mental health conditions exist “over there,” and affect “other people.”
There is an emerging and compelling economic case for being proactive about mental health in the workplace. But the economic case for supporting people who are severely affected by mental illness is seemingly less obvious.
Stigma and misunderstanding are rife, and the perceived ‘risk’ of taking on someone with a mental illness, or supporting those already in the workplace, often overshadows what an individual can offer.
A survey commissioned by Rethink Mental Illness in 2017 showed that 68 per cent of staff with hiring responsibilities would worry someone with severe mental illness “wouldn’t fit in with the team,” 83 per cent thought they “wouldn’t be able to cope with the demands of the job” and 74 per cent would worry that someone with severe mental illness would “need lots of time off.” It is not surprising, then, that only 43 per cent of people with mental health problems are in employment, compared with 74 per cent of the population.
Similarly, line managers can be ill-equipped to deal with mental health problems when they do arise or are disclosed in the workplace. Companies often trumpet their disability-friendly approach but often are not explicit about their support for less-visible disabilities.
Managers often contact our national information line because they are worried about how to manage a disclosure of mental illness and how to deal with performance issues which may be linked to mental ill-health. (We also hear from employees who report that requesting reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act often feels like asking for a ‘favour,’ rather than an exercise of their legal rights.)
This can help explain why many with a mental illness struggle to remain in work, perhaps taking long periods of sick leave when this could have been avoided with good management and trust.
This is why adequate training for line managers is needed around not just the law and duty of care responsibilities but also the ‘soft’ management skills, such as listening non-judgementally. This needs to be part of a wider organisational strategy around supporting mental health and wellbeing in the workplace which has clear backing from the top.
Similar perceptions around illness and disability pervade welfare and employment support programmes. Low awareness of mental illness and its fluctuating nature—including the impact of medication—and assessors’ inflexibility are some of the barriers evident in our welfare system.
Individual placement and support (IPS) services, which support people into work over a period of time, are an excellent and proven example of how those with a severe mental illness can be supported into meaningful work. Yet these schemes are still not widespread, and more employers are needed to get on board to support IPS clients.
What we ultimately need is a fundamental rethink. Instead of concentrating on what people are unable to contribute, we should adopt an asset-based approach that focuses on finding the value and potential of each individual.
For example, companies purport to want candidates who are ‘emotionally resilient’ and have high emotional intelligence. These skills are already obvious in many of my colleagues managing a long-term and often serious mental health condition; the experience of developing personal coping strategies and new ways of working has given them valuable insight and skills. This lived experience also often informs and instils a sense of empathy towards struggling colleagues and customers.
This is not to play down the challenge of living with a serious mental illness, and the challenges of managing staff in the workplace. But it is incumbent on us all to create the right conditions for ongoing recovery. Employers can play a key role in designing workplaces, instilling working hours, encouraging conversations and practices that fit around people and their unique characteristics and needs.
There is an emerging and compelling economic case for being proactive about mental health in the workplace. But the economic case for supporting people who are severely affected by mental illness is seemingly less obvious.
Stigma and misunderstanding are rife, and the perceived ‘risk’ of taking on someone with a mental illness, or supporting those already in the workplace, often overshadows what an individual can offer.
A survey commissioned by Rethink Mental Illness in 2017 showed that 68 per cent of staff with hiring responsibilities would worry someone with severe mental illness “wouldn’t fit in with the team,” 83 per cent thought they “wouldn’t be able to cope with the demands of the job” and 74 per cent would worry that someone with severe mental illness would “need lots of time off.” It is not surprising, then, that only 43 per cent of people with mental health problems are in employment, compared with 74 per cent of the population.
Similarly, line managers can be ill-equipped to deal with mental health problems when they do arise or are disclosed in the workplace. Companies often trumpet their disability-friendly approach but often are not explicit about their support for less-visible disabilities.
Managers often contact our national information line because they are worried about how to manage a disclosure of mental illness and how to deal with performance issues which may be linked to mental ill-health. (We also hear from employees who report that requesting reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act often feels like asking for a ‘favour,’ rather than an exercise of their legal rights.)
This can help explain why many with a mental illness struggle to remain in work, perhaps taking long periods of sick leave when this could have been avoided with good management and trust.
This is why adequate training for line managers is needed around not just the law and duty of care responsibilities but also the ‘soft’ management skills, such as listening non-judgementally. This needs to be part of a wider organisational strategy around supporting mental health and wellbeing in the workplace which has clear backing from the top.
Similar perceptions around illness and disability pervade welfare and employment support programmes. Low awareness of mental illness and its fluctuating nature—including the impact of medication—and assessors’ inflexibility are some of the barriers evident in our welfare system.
Individual placement and support (IPS) services, which support people into work over a period of time, are an excellent and proven example of how those with a severe mental illness can be supported into meaningful work. Yet these schemes are still not widespread, and more employers are needed to get on board to support IPS clients.
What we ultimately need is a fundamental rethink. Instead of concentrating on what people are unable to contribute, we should adopt an asset-based approach that focuses on finding the value and potential of each individual.
For example, companies purport to want candidates who are ‘emotionally resilient’ and have high emotional intelligence. These skills are already obvious in many of my colleagues managing a long-term and often serious mental health condition; the experience of developing personal coping strategies and new ways of working has given them valuable insight and skills. This lived experience also often informs and instils a sense of empathy towards struggling colleagues and customers.
This is not to play down the challenge of living with a serious mental illness, and the challenges of managing staff in the workplace. But it is incumbent on us all to create the right conditions for ongoing recovery. Employers can play a key role in designing workplaces, instilling working hours, encouraging conversations and practices that fit around people and their unique characteristics and needs.
