Publication
Employee perspectives on mental health in the workplace
| Contents: | Summary Introduction Methodology Findings Discussion Recommendations References Appendices |
Recommendations
The recommendations are based on the findings of the employee study reported above, further informed by other research and by the experience of SDC in promoting mental health employment development (SDC, forthcoming). The recommendations are intended to form a framework for an organisational approach to improve mental health and well-being in the workplace.
Making the case to employers - a business oriented model
Three key messages emerge from this study of employee perspectives that need to be communicated to employers:
- To improve mental health and well-being in the workplace and to support people with mental health problems, employees are looking for organisational practices that value and respect them
- Steps to promote mental health and well-being at work are consistent with good employment and management practices. Action to improve mental health and well-being at work need not require special initiatives or an additional burden of work. Good organisational and employment practices have a major contribution to make to workplace well-being
- Taking such steps will benefit employers by enhancing retention and recruitment and by improving quality and productivity of the workforce
In view of the reported confusion among employers about where to turn for reliable advice, information and support (Lee, 2002), better co-ordination and communication is required at national and local level among bodies that work with employers to promote consistency and to maximise impact.
Promoting job retention
The study has helped illuminate those features of work places and working life that employees find detrimental to and supportive of their mental health and well-being. There is an urgent need to point to existing examples of good practice in recruitment and retention.
In view of recent findings reported by the Department of Work and Pensions (2003) on employment retention after the onset of sickness and disability, which indicated that the highest risk factor associated with the onset of sickness and disability was reporting of mental health problems, there are good grounds for taking action on job retention under the auspices of the National Programme to improve of Mental Health and Well-being.
Experience elsewhere provides valuable models of what is required to facilitate job retention of people with mental health problems. There are timely opportunities in Scotland to develop programmes that are informed by the Bristol job retention pilots (Butterworth, 2001) and by similar work in the Netherlands (SDC, unpublished). Further, job retention within the NHS as a public sector employer has been also been amply described and evaluated (Perkins, 2001).
This would require establishing stronger networks locally and nationally among employers, employment services and mental health providers. It would also require a programme of development and support to promote skills and knowledge, to share experiences and ideas and to provide information and advice to employers.
Reward schemes
Employees were able to identify a range of ways in which their employers were contributing to enhanced workplace mental health and well-being. There is an opportunity therefore to build on existing good practice and to raise awareness of what else might be required. It is recognised that there are already intentions to extend the coverage of SHAW. Consideration should be given to build on the SHAW scheme, to give more prominence to mental health in acknowledging and crediting good employment practices. A possible template to assess good practice in mental health in the workplace, based on the findings of this research and broader experience, is shown in Appendix 4.
SHAW should strengthen its accreditation of workplace mental health practices using these criteria as a basis. SHAW should also take an active role in communicating to employers the legal, ethical and business arguments for the active promotion of workplace mental health at an organisational level.
Supports and resources for employers
The research by Lee reviewed information for employers on mental health and well-being and made a series of recommendations relating to the development of a resource to provide practical information. The proposals made in that study were for a resource that would act as a guide, to:
- enable and equip employers to raise awareness of mental health and well-being in their workplaces
- make the case for employers to take action to improve mental health
- set out the skills and competencies required
- highlight the likely areas in which employers were already taking action on mental health at work.
The research reported here from the employee perspective largely bears out these earlier recommendations. This study goes a stage further in generating the proposition that actions to improve mental health and well-being at work are inextricably linked to actions to support and retain people with mental health problems in work. In this regard therefore it would be important to provide further evidence of good practice to indicate the range and types of actions that employers are already undertaking that contribute to these goals.
In view of the particular issues for and constraints on small employers, the multi-agency steering group on mental well-being in the workplace should ensure that attention is directed towards identifying features of good practice in improving mental health in this sector.
Tackling stigma
The effectiveness of the steps set out above rests on the assumption that current attitudes and perceptions about mental health and mental health problems can be changed. Tackling stigma and negative attitudes to mental health is therefore a prerequisite. There are prime opportunities to consider how best the Scottish anti-stigma campaign 'See Me' can be taken into the workplace. One of the valuable features of See Me is the emphasis on real people recounting their stories and experiences. This may be a powerful tool within the work setting, to demonstrate to employers, managers and employees what is possible at a personal level, as a complement to the evidence and arguments put forward as the business case. It is suggested that this should be explored further as part of the National Programme, linking also to developing work on Recovery (SDC, 2002).
Future research agenda
The difficulties encountered in recruiting work settings and employees to participate in the employee study give a clear indication of how mental health is perceived in the workplace. There is a need for further investigation and development, through a combination of awareness raising, campaigning and training along with research activity, to identify the factors that contribute to greater openness about mental health and well-being in the workplace. In addition future research design should take account of the sensitivities associated with group discussion on matters relating to mental health in the work setting.