63% would not tell boss about a mental health issue

MORE than a third of employers have admitted they would not feel comfortable giving a job to someone with a mental health issue.

The revelation came in research commissioned by the Association for Higher Education Access & Disability (AHEAD) and also found that nearly two-thirds of those surveyed (63%) would not inform an employer about a mental health issue.

Speaking in advance of a conference on mental wellbeing in the workplace today, AHEAD executive director Ann Heelan said: “Almost four out of five people (78%) believe there is a stigma around mental health issues in the workplace, though almost half of the people working in Ireland (45%) know a colleague with a mental health issue.