Prioritising tackling mental health stigma in the workplace
Workplace officer Bryony is encouraging all workplaces to consider the mental health of their staff and how stigma acts as barriers to creating safe spaces for employees to disclose and discuss their needs.
Creating safe spaces at work
This World Mental Health Day we are encouraging all workplaces to consider the mental health of their staff and how mental health stigma acts as barriers to creating safe spaces for employees to disclose and discuss their mental health needs, seek out support and get help when they require it.
“I was going through an extremely difficult time at home and because of my issues with mental health I went to them for support and was told that I was letting the company down and was becoming unreliable.”
“I am a supervisor in retail. My manager has been very judgemental of one of our sales assistant’s mental health struggles, and as a result I haven’t told anyone about my specific diagnosis/symptoms.”
These quotes detail some of the experiences people have had within the workplace (Scottish Mental Illness Stigma Study, 2022).
Unfortunately, these experiences are by no means rare or unique to Scotland.
Experiencing discrimination in employment
Our Scottish Mental Illness Stigma Study (2022) explored where and how people with more complex mental illnesses face stigma and discrimination and the impact this has.
The in-depth study unearthed some concerning trends. We’ve seen that people are holding back from events and activities which contribute to basic happiness – withdrawing from friendships, not pursuing employment opportunities and even stopping themselves from getting medical assistance when feeling unwell.
71% of participants reported that they had experienced stigma and discrimination in employment, with 29% of those reporting it was experienced frequently or very frequently.
Furthermore:
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77% of people said they had been treated unfairly at work.
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85% of respondents have stopped themselves from applying for jobs
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75% haven’t been open about their mental illness, needs and experiences at work
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45% have resigned or left employment before they would have wanted to
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63% stopped themselves from asking for flexible work arrangements or other reasonable adjustments
"Take the fear out of talking about mental health"
People experiencing and witnessing stigma and discrimination at work are less likely to apply for promotion opportunities;less likely to speak up and ask for help when they need it; more likely to leave work before they are ready, and more likely to hold themselves back from future employment opportunities as a result of that anticipation that they will be treated the same way again.
See Me volunteer Nikki has shared how her mental health was impacted in the workplace and the impact it had on her.
“I wasn’t aware of the term at the time, but I began to display signs of presenteeism. I was afraid to take any time off and felt I had to be seen to be working hard, regardless of what I was experiencing personally. With the wonderful gift of hindsight, I can see now that had I been able to go to my manager and have an open and frank discussion about how I was feeling and the support I needed, things could have been different.
“My best advice to anyone trying to support an employee through any kind of mental ill health is to take the fear out of talking about mental health. Make it a commonplace discussion so that it doesn’t have to feel like a big thing if they need to ask for help or support or if you notice any signs they may need help. This also helps to remove the stigma around talking about mental health in the workplace.”
Lived experience in leadership especially powerful
The Thriving at Work report (2017) identified leadership commitment and role modelling as one of the core principles for creating a mentally healthy workplace.
This has also been identified as key to effective implementation of mental health interventions and, within those, addressing mental health stigma.
The Lancet Commission noted that having people with lived experience in leadership roles was especially powerful.
Employers, don't delay - take action now
This World Mental Health Day we are asking employers to really take stock of where they are in supporting mental health in the workplace, and particularly, what action they are taking to address the rooted stigma that gets in the way of employees asking for help when they struggle.
We are asking employers not to delay taking action any further!
See Me in Work offers employers a plethora of free information, tools and resources to embark on or go further in this improvement journey, from a Starter Pack to a digital See Me In Work Portal that helps them take an organisational approach.