Helping employers and colleagues understand
The Mental Health Foundation research found that 47% of people who had experienced mental distress said that they had experienced discrimination in the workplace, and 37% had experienced discrimination when seeking employment.
The Mental Health Foundation research found that 47% of people who had experienced mental distress said that they had experienced discrimination in the workplace, and 37% had experienced discrimination when seeking employment.
Although the Disability Discrimination Act makes it illegal for you to be treated differently when seeking work, it is virtually impossible to prove that you are unsuccessful due to disclosing mental illness rather than not being a strong enough candidate. You may therefore want to think carefully about how much you want to disclose on application for a job.
Making your employer or potential employer aware of your illness could well be beneficial in the long term, especially if you need their support or understanding at some stage. You might want to think about what would be the most appropriate way for you to do this.
- You could include it in a cover letter with reference to how well you manage your illness, and consider it an opportunity to write about handling difficulty in a positive light.
- If you prefer to wait until you have been offered an interview, it might be better to broach the subject at this point, when they have met you and you have had a chance to make a good impression.
- The pros of telling: You could get support, help, counselling, and improvements in your working conditions, and you won't have to worry about your secret being discovered.
- The cons of telling: You might be vulnerable to discrimination and harassment from an employer or co-workers who do not understand mental illness.
Employers may worry about mental health problems because they don’t know where to access help and information, and are worried about what to expect. It might be worth asking your employer whether you could give them details of where they can find out more, if you think this is appropriate.
Educating colleagues may be more daunting if you do decide to be open about your mental illness. They might be worried that you will excessive time off and they will have to cover for you, or that they won’t know what to say to you. Hopefully, by working with you, they will soon learn that people with mental illness don’t necessarily need more time off than people with any other kind of illness.
Research shows that stigma is most reduced by interacting directly with some one with mental illness. The more colleagues get to know you, the more they will start to understand that there is more to you than your diagnosis.
Research shows that stigma is most reduced by interacting directly with some one with mental illness. The more colleagues get to know you, the more they will start to understand that there is more to you than your diagnosis.
