Posted: Wednesday 3 November 2010
This year’s National Stress Awareness Day is a good time to reflect on the state of the nation in terms of mental wellbeing at work. For those lucky enough to have a job, the picture looks pretty bleak. Recently we’ve seen a tranche of media stories about the increasing levels of stress among employees. Small wonder, given the multiple pressures people are facing as a result of the recession – money worries, fears about job security, spending cuts to name a few – which pile in on top of the existing causes of stress from inside and outside the workplace.
Last Monday, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) reported that stress is now the biggest cause of long-term absence among public sector workers – and with the 500,000 job losses still to come it’s only set to get worse. In the same week, the TUC revealed that stress is now the most common health and safety problem in the workplace, with 62 per cent saying stress was in the top five of problems and one in four people naming stress as the top problem at work.
These surveys echo Mind’s findings, released earlier this year, which found that since the recession 1 in 10 workers have sought support from their doctors and 7 per cent have started taking antidepressants for stress and mental health problems caused by the pressures of recession on their workplace.
Yet for all these people struggling with stress at work, many more are struggling in silence. As research released by Mind today shows, people experiencing stress or mental distress feel unable to tell the truth to their employers about why they are off sick. It’s not just stress caused by work that’s the problem, or even the prevalence of mental distress in the workplace. People with a range of mental health problems are struggling on in silence at work, feeling they need to put on a ‘brave face’ and failing to ask for support, for fear of discrimination – and even demotion or dismissal. There’s no doubt about it, mental health is still taboo in the workplace.
For mental wellbeing at work to become a reality, it is this stigma that now needs to be shattered. Through Taking care of business – and our joint Time to Challenge campaign with Rethink – that’s exactly what Mind will be doing in the coming months. But we need your help, whether you’re an employer, employee or campaigner. Sign up as a supporter here or contact work@mind.org.uk.
Amy Whitelock, Senior Policy and Campaigns Officer
How are people with mental health conditions and particularly sensitive to stress expected to cope in increasingly pressurized work environments if they are forced off sickness benefits and on to JSA?
This is something very dear to my heart as after 8 years in the same employment I recently resigned due to stress not being recognised as exacerbating my mental health condition. I am horrified to yet again finding myself applying for posts I am able to do and have a strong feeling some I am very suited to apply for reject my application as I am honest about living with my condition. I have a 2:1 degree and a long background in health work in NHS and voluntary sector. It is absurd that if those in employment have their conditions worsened how can the government expect to get those on long-term sickness benefit back into work. I was one of those people who for 7 years lived on benefits and not due entirely to my condition but to stigma and employers attitudes to mental health exacerbating it. This has to stop as I work damned hard and if had been effectivly supported still could have been a valued employee. The UK should hang its head in shame!
I was good at my job but only my own commitment not to let this drag me down drives me forward. I self-manage my condition well and think positively yet it seems no one is willing to confron stigma in employment head on. This is something I strive for and I will see change in my life time even if I have to chain myself to the gates of number 10 Downing Street. You have my full support but my only concern is talk of this has been around for years and action must be taken.
It's the office workplace culture I find hard to tolerate. Although I've registered that I have a mental illness with my HR department and I've had an independent workplace adjustment to reduce my targets and reassign duties accordingly, it's the school yard mentality and constant finger wagging over perceived mistakes and behaviours that are not fitting with the corporate "values and behavours" from my manager and co-workers that makes me feel like a bewildered child at times. They all know that I get flustered easily and can't do too much at once but still I have to cope with things that other people can just brush off but make me feel tired and very ill. My psychiatrist is keen that I remain in work as she thinks that if I did go off work sick I would become even more ill and I completely accept that as I find the routine of going into work keeps me going, but I have to force myself to go in when I'm screaming inside with fear over what might happen today at work. I remember one of my ex managers said that people think you're defensive and I just said I'm mentally ill, what exactly do you expect?
I think I might get into trouble soon as I'm aware that I'm strugging with my targets even though they've been adjusted and I feel resigned to questions, exasperation and the inevitable "but we've done this and this and this for you what else do you need?" I just would like to say, get off my back, let me at least try my best however little that is (because I'm NOT lazy) and leave me out of all the pettiness, false concern and trying to force me to be something I'm not please because me and the FailMind don't want to play anymore - you try working when you've got suicidal thoughts and feeling drained and bad and see how you like it. No? Is that too scary and honest? Did I say too much? Welcome to my world, mate.
Sorry for the rant but it's important that non-mentally ill get some idea of what it's like to cope with a mental illness in the workplace. Look around your office - I can guarantee that there will be people in there with the too bright grins that are secretly running to the toilets to cry because someone was heavy handed, expect too much and the strain of trying to hide private pain is also too much. I would love to see large organisations have a dedicated mental health specialist that could deal with issues concerning this but I rather suspect until the great taboo of mental illness is blown out of the water it will be just a stupid notion.
When I worked for the NHS as a registered nurse, I found it pretty much the worse environment to work if feeling very stressed. My colleagues were supportive, but should it come to the point where I couldn't come in because personal circumstances were making it impossible; the managers made you feel so useless! It was far better to lie and say that I'd had a medical problem flare up instead! I just felt I was labelled as a non- coper, though I'm sure I'd have been taken to task IF whilst at work when in too stressed a, state I'd made an error!!
Recently I have been applying for jobs with organisations that carry 'the Disability Symbol' on their literature or websites. This symbol, as well as suggesting that an employer is, at the very least, thinking about the issues concerning the recruitment disabled job applicants, ensures that all applicants who considered themselves to be disabled and meet the minimum requirements of the post been advertised will be offered an interview.
Unfortunately, although I believe that I meet the minimum requirements and am disabled, I have not been getting those interview opportunities.
When I have asked for feedback I have been told that I did meet all the essential requirements but that there were too many other candidates of a similar standard. But, when I point out that I applied under the guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants and that, if I did meet the essential requirements, I should have got an interview, they have no idea what I am talking about.
It seems that organisations advertise 'the Disability Symbol' but have not made their HR teams aware of what committing to the symbol actually means.
As this symbol is a voluntary commitment there is nothing in law regarding its use. I could ask Job Centre Plus, who administer the scheme, to investigate but It that won't get me my interview opportunity.
Anyone else had similar experiences.
In response to Kylie, this has just happened to me, I ticked the disability box and was told would only get an interview if I had all the criteria for the post which "I DID" and this was a large organisation working with people with a certain health condition.
I agree with all the comments raised in this blog as the DDA appears to have huge loop holes regarding mental health and employment. My support in my recent post was a very good line manager but there was nothing in place to prevent front line staff getting stressed, no procedures, no policies, when you returned to work after being stressed the work load left had not been touched. Great Britain, what is "great" about it when mental health is treated in this deplorable way. What am I now to do, use my years of good skills and go and wash dishes in a back street cafe!
I was a nurse for 20 years until NHS managers used my depression to suggest I couldn't do my job. I overslept during a night break and asked to go home after bullying by the night sister. They made me go on unpaid leave for months until I finally broke down in the hosptial lobby and was sacked without a reference. I was good at my job and their were no complaints about my work. I am now on benefits having failed to secure employment for seven years apart from the odd cleaning and fruit picking plus casual work in a library where I was once again turned down for a permanant job. I feel under pressure in my voluntary job as they are asking me to come in on the busiest times. I suppose I should see as an indication that they value my work but I just know when it comes to getting a job with pay and prospects my depression will be used against me. Some employers may be understanding of staff with mental health problems but it is like a lottery. I feel so used and wish I could turn the clock back
Employers trying to change rules to make it harder to take an employer to an employment tribunal including payment up front veiled as a disguise to rule out vexacious claims but just another law on the lest well off in order to not to rock the boat and go quietly.
Paul
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/universal-credit-full-document.pdf
DWP white paper released university credit.
Page 50 shows contribution based ESA time limited to one year.
I personally will have to try and save a little if I can. I wonder if the DWP are studying their records for peoples income or partners that work or their bank accounts for savings. Get them first for ESA medicals maximum 12 months whatever their review date and they save a fortune. Perhaps try to get in the support group but I am sure they will call them fraudsters whatever their illness. I could not find that support group would even be protected, will have to study further later.
Paul
Hi All, I have recently been medically retired from the Police Service due to developing a stress/anxiety related illness last year. I had no option but to go on sick leave as in an attempt to cope I had begun to self harm and seriously contemplated ending my life. Prior to going sick I sought help from my HR and was told to be careful as if I went sick due to a mental illness ''I would never be promoted again and it would obviously be in people's minds when I went for interviews etc''. For all the posturing and hot air from organisations with regard to caring for employees welfare etc When push came to shove and it happened to me I found reality somewhat very different.
I was an NHS employee, and within 2 years had a total of 7 weeks off with stress and anxiety. I think people think you are trying to pull a fast one. I always did put a brave face on, so I suppose when I got signed off, people just didn't believe I was geniune, but I indeed was one of those people who would hide behind their smile, but go to the toilets to cry. I suppose it is difficult to comprehend if you've never experienced mental health problems yourself, but surely if your GP has deemed it necessary for you to take a break from work, that shouldn't be argued with. It is the GP you have bared your soul too, and they are experienced in recognising the symptoms. I actually find it quite ironic that mental health has such a stigma within the NHS of all places.
More still needs to be done to battle this stigma, and I hope one day we get there.
http://www.disabilityalliance.org/con10.htm
DA conference 11 November 2010. DWP say people will be transferred from IB to ESA on review date (if you have one and believe what they say.
New welfare reform white paper January 2011 according to DWP at this conference.
As for the Sun newspaper poor are being turned against the poor with the help of the middle class who are frightened to death of losing everying and all politicians. Only had to see what the public wanted cut to prove that with Osbornes so called consultation on the deficit and debt cuts
Lets face nobody is truly going to fight our corner, its too late, All this stuff has affected me very badly for years. I now meet hostiltiy with hostility, it is not nice but I do not know any other way to fight back. Also everyone if possible is going to have to learn about what is going on, even if they can only do a few minutes finding out about things. The more that know a bit the harder it is for society to walk all over you. Self presevation or in my case fighting the humiliation.
Paul
What were the promise given by government to the charities in respect of welfare reform. I am sure a lot of people would like to know?
Below is a part of a Guardian newspaper article today if I am correct qouting the chief executive representing some of the big uk charities
"It's disappointing, given promises made to the voluntary sector," said Stephen Bubb, chief executive of Acevo, which represents the biggest charities in Britain. "We need the government to recognise that we need help to scale up so that charities can bid for contracts or be able to form consortia to pick up [work]. We were hoping for more, especially since [the work and pensions secretary] Iain Duncan Smith has promised charities help."
However, the private sector pointed out that it was funnelling money back into charities' coffers, as they often bought in voluntary organisations' expertise.
"Our company contracts between 20% and 60% of the work to charities, so we rely upon them," said Emma Harrison, founder of A4E. "Last year we put £35m into the charitable sector… they are helping us get people back into employment."
The only charity with more than £10m in government contracts is the Shaw Trust, one of Britain's biggest voluntary sector organisations, which places disabled people in employment. Sally Burton, the trust's chief executive, said she welcomed private firms using charities, but said the profit margins were often too small.
"Private companies make 30% margins on government contracts when they get awarded them. But when they subcontract to charities we only get 8% or 9%. For us that is quite hard to take."
The government has already said the current system "was costing massive amounts of money, and delivering very little".
Chris Grayling, the welfare minister, said the payments were made under the last administration's "chronically mismanaged and fundamentally flawed" Flexible New Deal policy, which the coalition has scrapped.
Figures for the first 11 months of the policy, up to August this year, reveal that it placed only 16,238 people in work for 13 weeks at a cost of £508m – or £31,284 per job. Randeep Ramesh
Paul
"It's disappointing, given promises made to the voluntary sector," said Stephen Bubb, chief executive of Acevo, which represents the biggest charities in Britain. "We need the government to recognise that we need help to scale up so that charities can bid for contracts or be able to form consortia to pick up [work]. We were hoping for more, especially since [the work and pensions secretary] Iain Duncan Smith has promised charities help."
I am completely shocked that the disability charities should identify as service providers and be concerned about how they can earn money when they should be speaking out for and representing service users.
Service users don't want threats, sanctions, conditionality - any of the pressure and force. The disability charities should never have allowed the last government to take away the right to unconditional benefits for people with serious disability and replace them with conditional benefits.
Why did they say nothing? When were these promises being made?
The disability charities should not be trying to get contracts from the government so that they don't want to speak truth to power. They should get together and defend people with disability and Just Say No to conditionality.
Might it not now be a good time for MIND to start standing up for disabled menatlly ill people rather than cosying up to government to try and get the lucractive cash for providing services ... just a thought!
I was a student at a certain University and they got rid of me due to anxiety, I am trying to take them to court and to fight my corner, but the university dispuite that I am disabled and state that I am the problem and some of my behaviour. They have ignored all of my medical history, a sufferer of anxiety and depression for the last ten years and state I am the problem, not them they have done nothing wrong. I am hoping the judge will be able to decide that I am disabled and at least hear my case. If the judge cant decide im disabled it will cost me a lot of money to get in a health expert to decide if I am disabled. If that happens I will have to give up the fight. I asked MIND if they could fund such an expert, but I was told no, so my case is in the lap of the gods and I have had my future scrapped because of the monsters at my university who decided to get rid of me.....
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