Most workers afraid to disclose mental health issues, says survey
20th December 2011
Posted by Rachel Krys
Employers have been encouraged to do more to include support for those with mental health issues in their workplace inclusion policies.
Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has claimed that the issue of mental health is still being "swept under the carpet" in most workplaces.
A survey by the organisation found that just four in ten employees say they would feel confident to disclose a mental health problem to their employer.
The poll of 2,000 UK workers revealed that 26 per cent of employees have experienced a mental health problem while in employment.
However, just 25 per cent of respondents say their organisation encourages staff to talk openly about mental health problems and only 37 per cent say their employer supports employees with mental health problems well.
The CIPD warns this is leading to many people continuing to work despite mental ill health, which could damage their well-being as well as affect productivity.
"Stress is the number one cause of long-term sickness absence, but it is not just time lost to absence which impacts on the bottom line," said Ben Willmott, head of public policy at the organisation.
"Our survey highlights that the majority of people with poor mental health continue to attend work and report that it can impact on their ability to concentrate, make good decisions and provide effective customer service."
Most mental health problems arise from a combination of work pressures as well as issues in employees' personal lives.
Women are significantly more likely to report experiencing a mental health problem while in employment (31 per cent) than men (22 per cent).
The CIPD is urging managers to do more to offer staff the support they need to resolve such issues.
"To a large degree this is about how managers interact with staff on a day to day basis and the extent to which they build working relationships based on mutual trust and confidence," said Mr Willmott.
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