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Mental Health and Employment:
Promoting Social Inclusion in the Workplace
Margret Fine-Davis
Social Attitude and Policy Research Group
Trinity College
Talk to Irish Association for Supported Employment
Kilkenny, 10 October 2009
EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND: helping develop employment by promoting employability, the business spirit
and equal opportunities and investing in human resources
National Flexi-Work PartnershipNational Flexi-Work Partnership
For all older people
University of Dublin Trinity College
The Work-Life Balance Project
Consortium of Organisations in Project
Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies, Trinity College Dublin
Irish Business and Employer’s Confederation (IBEC)
Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) FAS – the National Training Authority Aware Age Action Ireland
Aims
To develop new models of working which will:
• Facilitate the reconciliation of work and family life
• Include groups with difficulty in attaining or maintaining employment
• Encourage employers and policy makers to incorporate these models into their normal practices
Sub Projects and Studies
Pilot Projects to Test and Evaluate Flexible Working
Nationwide Representative Survey of Work-Life Balance
(sample of 1,212)
Survey of Mental Health and the Workplace (sample of 133)
to include special focus on: Working Parents and Carers Older People
National Flexi-work Partnership:Work-Life Balance Project
“Mental Health & Employment:Promoting Social Inclusion in the
Workforce”
Margret Fine-Davis, Mary McCarthy, Grace Edge and Ciara O’Dwyer
Background
300,000 or 1 in 14 people in Ireland suffer from depression
Social and Economic Rationale Social: Everybody has the right to
the opportunity of participating in economic life of the country
Economic: If economic growth is to be sustained all sources of labour must be utilised (NCPP, 2005)
Benefits of Working Structure Financial security Interpersonal contact Opportunity for skill use Opportunity for self fulfilment and
achievement Sense of identity
Specific Benefits of Working for People with Mental Health Problems
Coping mechanism Benefits are affiliative (i.e. not
purely economic) Protects against depression (Brown
and Harris, 1978)
Benefits cont’d Foster 1999: In relation to mental
health rehabilitation “opportunities for employment are crucial”
Auerbach and Richardson 2005: “Not only was work a contributor to the person’s identity it was also an antidote to the person’s problems”
Benefits of Flexible Working for People with Mental Health Problems
Enables people with mental health problems to retain employment
Gives a message to employees that the organisation values them and that they can still contribute even during times of poor mental health
Stigmatisation
Interaction between stigmatisation and disclosure of illness:
Fear that disclosure will lead to stigmatisation and stereotyping in the workplace
Fear of damaging promotional and career prospects
Disclosure
McKeon 1995 – 52% of people with MHP gave fictitious account of diagnosis to employer
McKeon 2005 - 87% of people with MHP gave fictitious account of diagnosis to employer
Research Method
Sampling Design Respondents recruited mainly
through AWARE Interviews carried out with 133
people who had experienced MHP, specifically depression
Interviews carried out on a one to one basis
Sample Design cont’d
Sample stratified by employment status
and gender
Characteristics of the Sample
Employed: 44%, Non-employed 56%
Males: 44%, Females: 56%
Average age: 45 years
Gender and Employment Status
Employed(n=59)
Non-employed(n=74)
Total
(N=133)
Male 52.5% 37.8% 44.4%Female 47.5% 62.2% 55.6%Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0
%
Questionnaire Demographics Work and work arrangements (currently
employed) Work history and preferences (non-
employed) Work and mental health problems (currently
and non-employed) Experience of people with mental health
problems in the workplace (currently & previously employed)
Work-Life balance and well-being
Educational Attainment People with mental health problems in
our sample have a high level of educational attainment:
45.8% of the employed have university degree or more
11.9% - 3rd level degree 33.9% - post graduate qualification
Educational Attainment Non-Employed
39.3% of non employed have university degree or more
14.9% - 3rd level degree 24.4% - post graduate
qualifications
Type of Organisation and Employment Status
Type of organisation
Employed
Non-employed
Total
Public 35.6% 30.1% 32.6%
Private 54.2% 67.1% 61.4%Community/NGO
10.2% 2.7% 6.1%
Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Reasons why Non-Employed Left Workforce
58.9% of the previously employed left work due to their mental health problems
Desire to Return to Work
72% of the non-employed said that they would like to return to employment
However just 55.4% of these thought that they actually would return
Work Characteristics
Individual Flexibility 62.6% of currently employed had
some degree of flexibility in their work schedule
Whereas only 30.1% of previously employed had some degree of flexibility in their work schedule
This illustrates the fact that flexibility is key to remaining in employment for people with mental health problems
Effect of Flexible Working on Career
Over half (55.5%) of the currently employed said that flexible working had a positive effect on their career
Effect of Flexible Working on Mental Health
77.7% of employed respondents said that working flexibly had a positive effect on their mental health
61.9% of non-employed also said it had a positive effect
To what extent people with mental health problems are stigmatised
Employed(n=56)
Non-Employed(n=68)
Total(N=124)
A fair amount
32.1% 22.1% 26.6%
A great deal
35.7% 38.2% 37.1%
Total 67.8% 60.3% 63.7%
Effect of own workplace on mental health
Employed(n=57)
Previously employed(n=73)
Negatively 17.6% 56.2%
Neither 5.3% 15.1%
Positively 77.3% 28.8%
Total 100% 100%
Increasing Stress Levels of Irish Workers
A survey carried for the Forum of the Workplace of the Future (National Centre for Partnership and Performance, 2005) found that Irish workers are experiencing increased levels of pressure and stress.
As a result increasing numbers of workers are in need of greater work-life balance.
Stress has particularly detrimental effects for people with mental health difficulties.
How often feel under stress
Employed(n=59)
Non-Employed(n=73)
Nationwide Sample(N=1202)
Very often
23.7% 26.0% 6.1%
Always3.4% 6.8% 2.5%
Total 27.1% 32.8% 8.6%
Life Satisfaction
Employed(n=59)
Non-Employed(n=74)
Nationwide Sample(N=1208)
Dissatis-fied 22%
44.6% 19.3%
Satisfied 30.5% 33.8% 50%
VerySatisfied 13.6% 9.5% 30.7%
Work and Mental Health Problems
Mental Health and the Workplace – Negative Experiences
17.4% reported having received verbal abuse from colleagues
19.7% reported having received verbal abuse from a manager/supervisor
30.5% reported having been excluded in the workplace
Mental Health and the Workplace – Negative Experiences 21.4% reported having had their
workload lessened 25.8% reported having been
unfairly rebuked 28.8% reported having been
passed over for promotion 16.9% reported having had their
job description changed
Attitudes to Mental Health and the Workplace: A
Comparison of the Nationwide and Mental Health Samples
Factor I: Positive Attitudes to Facilitating People with Mental Health Problems in the Workplace
Nationwide (N=1212)% Agree
Mental Health
(N=133)% Agree
“If people with mental health problems need flexibility at work in order to stay in the workplace, their colleagues should make allowances for this”
89% 94%
“People should be able to be more open in the workplace about mental health issues”
93.6% 95.4%
Positive Attitudes to Facilitating People with Mental Health Problems in the Workplace
Nationwide (N=1212)% Agree
Mental Health
(N=133)% Agree
“Mental health problems should be regarded in the same way as any other illness”
92% 97.7%
“It is in the interest of employers to support people with mental health problems so as to retain their skills & experience”
92.7% 100%
“Employers should make a special effort to accommodate the particular needs of employees with mental health problems in the workplace”
90.3% 97.7%
Factor II: Denial and Concealment of Mental Health Problems
Nationwide (N=1212)% Agree
Mental Health
(N=133)% Agree
“It is not in an employees’ best interest to discuss/disclose mental health problems in the workplace”
69% 79.6%
“People with depression aren’t really ill – they should just pull themselves together”
6.6% 3%
The issue of disclosure: To disclose or not
to disclose?
Disclosure
Just over 53% of the total sample had disclosed
62.7% of employed had disclosed
45.2% of previously employed had disclosed
Disclosure
44.7% of the total sample
had never spoken to anyone at work regarding their mental health problems
Disclosure at Interview 37.8% of currently employed had
disclosed at interview 21.9% of non-employed had
disclosed at interview Overall over two thirds of the total
sample felt unable to disclose at interview
Disclosure cont’d
60% would advise a friend not to disclose if
applying to a new job
Disclosure cont’d 61.1% of currently employed
respondents felt that disclosure had had a positive effect on them
whereas only 34.5% of the non-employed reported that disclosure had had a positive effect on them
Workplace Supports and Disclosure
If you don’t disclose you may forgo the opportunity of availing of support (via personnel and programmes) in the workplace
Difficulties for Employers
Non disclosure makes it difficult for employers to develop practical strategies to support and assist employees with mental health needs
Coping with an Episode of Ill Health at Work 67.4% of all respondents said that
they used sick leave during periods of poor-health
Flexible arrangements were available to 37.7% of respondents.
When flexible arrangements were available, they were the most availed of option with a take-up rate of 79.6%
Benefits of Flexible Working during Periods of Poor Mental Health
Employee: provides a continued opportunity to engage in the world of work
Employers: retain skilled staff, save money on recruitment/training of new staff
Most Important Factors which support People at Work 49.6% of all respondents said that
supportive attitudes at work were the most important factor in maintaining people with mental health problems in employment
24.1% said flexible hours were the second most important factor
Evaluation of Workplace Support Personnel and programmes which deal
with mental health in the workplace are becoming more widely available and in general they were positively evaluated by employees
However 59.2% of all respondents felt they had little or no support available to them in times of poor mental health
Benefits of Putting support in place Symbolises commitment of
organisation to staff during periods of poor mental health
Assists employees during episodes of poor mental health
Promotes positive awareness and understanding of mental health amongst staff in general
Mental Health and Equality 83.1% of all respondents were
aware of the Equality Authority
53.1% said that they were aware that discrimination against people with mental health problems was prohibited by law
Recommendations
RecommendationsWork-life balance and flexible
working The promotion of work-life balance
through the availability of flexible working arrangements is recommended
It contributes to the good mental well-being of ALL employees
It has added therapeutic and protective values for people with mental health problems in particular
Recommendations
Access to employment Employers should be aware how
difficult re-entry is for those who have had to leave the workplace
Government initiatives which facilitate re-entry should be continued and developed
Recommendations
Company policy and practice Companies should be more open
about what help they have available
All efforts should be made to facilitate retention in employment
Recommendations
Company ethos Unless the overall culture of the
company includes a positive and accepting attitude towards mental health problems, employees will not
feel empowered to disclose or access the support available
Recommendations
Awareness training Awareness training for all staff, not
just HR All stakeholders in the organisation
need to be knowledgeable about mental health and other diversity issues
Recommendations
Integration of mental health into the diversity agenda
Information about the needs of people with mental health problems should be more fully integrated into the area of Diversity Training and Awareness in the workplace
RecommendationsDisclosure Disclosure – implications for employers
and employees Disclosure can make it easier to come
to work during periods of heightened symptoms
Non-disclosure can be detrimental to the process of recovery
Disclosure allows the worker to request reasonable accommodation
Recommendations One person’s disclosure may empower
another's Disclosure may help a person to feel
secure in the workplace