When recruiting staff, employers have a legal
requirement to ensure they are not discriminating against anyone
who has a mental health problem. The mental health charity
Rethink stresses that people with mental health problems often have
qualities that people without do not readily possess. The
Working Minds campaign by MindOut highlighted the positive aspects
someone with a mental health problem can bring to a job. This
includes:
- Problem solving
- Ability to work with and
relate to different sorts of people
- Tenacity
- Diplomacy
- Creativity
Given that one in five employees already has a
mental health problem and one in three of the working-age
population may be experiencing some type of mental health
condition, the answer isn’t to avoid hiring people who may have a
mental health problem now or in the past.
When companies that have employed people with a mental health
problem were surveyed, 85% of them did not regret the decision or
find it a negative experience.
If as an employer, you get the process of
recruitment right, you will be building a positive working
relationship with your new employee from the start. It makes
it much more likely that you will create an environment whereby
your employees will be honest and open with you about their
personal information. You will increase the chance that you
will be able to put in place working arrangements that increase the
chance that your employees are productive, efficient and
happy.
Links
to resources:
SHiFT
line managers web resource
Shift is a Department of Health-funded
initiative to tackle stigma and discrimination surrounding mental
health issues in England. The Myth buster section on mental
health and employment uses the facts and figures to counter the
common myths and misconceptions about mental health and the effect
that mental ill-health has on employees ability to work
productively.
Rethink
Rethink, the leading national mental health
membership charity, works to help everyone affected by severe
mental illness recover a better quality of life. This part of
the website includes the link to resources specifically for
employers.
Employers’
Forum on Disability
Employers' Forum on Disability is an
employers' organisation focused on disability as it affects
business. The forum includes employers from multinational
corporations, Small and Medium sized Enterprises and the public
sector. This section of the website contains advice and information
on recruiting disabled people, including people with mental health
conditions.
Time to change
Is an ambitious programme to end
discrimination faced by people who experience mental health
problems. The programme is a partnership between the national
mental health charities, MIND and Rethink, and is evaluated by the
Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College, London. The website
includes information specifically for employers looking at
recruitment issues.
|
<<< Back
Next to >>>
Questions about
health or disability before an outright job offer