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.

“Employers have to recognise that the mental wellbeing of their work force is as important as their physical health.”

The online survey found almost a third were not satisfied with the balance between their work lives and their social lives. This figure rose to 40% for people living outside Dublin in Leinster. For people in Munster just one in five (19%) had the complaint.

According to the Small Firms Association, absenteeism costs Irish businesses €550 million annually, with stress being the leading cause of absence.

But AHEAD research shows that just 31% of people say employers have guidelines in place to manage stress in the workplace, while 36% of those surveyed said their employers would react unsympathetically if they complained about stress.

More than 55% of those surveyed said that their job was stressful, while one in five (20%) described their job as being very stressful.

“I would like to affirm the vision and leadership of Abbott Ireland, IBM and the civil service in supporting this conference and recognising that mental wellbeing is a key factor in getting the best performance from the workforce,” she said.

Meanwhile Chris Andrews, of an Oireachtas group on mental health, said: “Research shows half of us believe that people with mental health problems shouldn’t have the same rights as everyone else and should be barred from certain jobs,” he said.

“We need to challenge these kinds of attitudes as the first step to reducing discrimination against people suffering from depression or going through other mental health difficulties.”

* www.ahead.ie