Recruiting prospective employees with a history of mental ill
health
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.
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