Mental health discrimination and work

The world of work is one of the major areas where people with mental health problems experience discrimination. While there’s lots of evidence to show that being in work can help to improve and protect people’s mental wellbeing, we also know that many people are discriminated against, both in the workplace and when applying for jobs, on the grounds of their mental health. As a result, people with experience of mental health problems often feel they have to withhold information about this, for fear of being treated unfavourably.

In this article, we take a look at some of the initiatives that are currently underway to combat stigma in the world of work.

The Black review: Raising the profile of health and work

The Dame Carol Black review set out to evaluate the health of the working-age population and investigate what employers and the government could do to improve the general health of this group, and help those at risk of being unable to work, including people with mental health problems. The government’s recent response to the Black review contains a number of promising proposals, including:

  • a national centre for working-age health and wellbeing;
  • health, work and wellbeing co-ordinators;
  • piloting an occupational helpline for smaller businesses;
  • a Challenge Fund to encourage local initiatives;
  • a review of the health and wellbeing of the NHS workforce. 

Ensuring that mental health is tackled

It’s critical that the needs of people with mental health problems, including issues of stigma and discrimination, are expressly addressed in the government’s action plans.  A number of national initiatives are already underway that aim to support people with mental health problems into work, or to support better employment practices.. These include:


Shift’s work on stigma and employment was highlighted in the Autumn 2008 issue of the Time to Change Update. 

The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health and Shift together launched a new website in October 2008, to help employers navigate the wealth of advice and resources on managing mental health in the workplace.  The website gives immediate and easy access to the work of an independent review panel that quality-checks materials designed to help employers manage mental health and promote mental wellbeing at work.

Mind’s Workplace pack for employers is aimed at large private sector companies. Mind Workplace will consult with organisations about their mental health needs, and put together a package to improve the mental health of the organisation. A wide range of options will be offered including, training, campaigns and web resources.


Building on Mind’s pack for employers, Time to Challenge (part of Time to Change) is actively pursuing test cases to support the use of laws on discrimination on the grounds of mental health, particularly the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). This will involve seeking out test cases and taking them through the courts. Time to Challenge will also produce materials explaining legal rights around the DDA, and how people can make the most of these rights.


Rethink is at the early stage of a new project to produce a toolkit that will help employers make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for employees with mental illness. ‘Reasonable adjustments’ are the measures that employers should put into place so that people with disabilities or long term illness are not discriminated against within the workplace.


Stand to Reason is a service-user led organisation that works with and for people with mental health problems to fight prejudice, establish rights and achieve equality. Its Breaking Glass Ceilings in Mental Health initiative focuses on trying to achieve cultural change within the workplace, including ‘hard-to reach’ private sector employers in the City. 


The Department for Work and Pensions has given £4 million to enable a number of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) sites to  appoint employment advisors, who will support people in, and into, work.

 

Mental health and employment strategy


Building on all of these initiatives, Dame Carol Black is now leading the development of a national mental health and employment strategy, that will be published in Spring 2009.  Time to Change will work to influence and support this strategy to ensure that issues of stigma and discrimination against people with mental health problems are tackled head on.