Research shows leadership prejudice with sufferers seen as ‘weak'
A study of employer attitudes towards staff with mental health conditions has revealed that 94 per cent of UK leaders admit prejudice against sufferers remains an issue in their organisation.
The research from Bupa, outlined in its report ‘Breaking the Silence’, also found that a third of business leaders think that employees with mental health illnesses will fail to return to full productivity. In responses to the study, some leaders said they 'labelled' these members of staff as unpredictable, weak and erratic.
In contrast, more than half (53 per cent) of employees managing mental health problems felt they were still top performers.
But a fifth of employees with a condition said they have felt under pressure to resign and more than half believed their illness had harmed their chances of promotion.
The majority of employers (88 per cent) claimed to have a culture that encourages people to openly discuss mental health.
However, a high proportion (70 per cent) of employees said they did not feel comfortable talking about such issues or concerns.
Bupa said that organisations are not doing enough to rectify mental health prejudices even though three quarters of leaders recognise the business case for staff mental well-being.
Leaders told the study that talking about such issues was not easy, with 47 per cent reporting that they feel like they are treading on eggshells around employees with conditions, while one in five leaders avoid talking to them altogether.
Patrick Watt, corporate director at Bupa, said: “Despite business leaders recognising the importance of addressing mental health at work there is still a long way to go to break down the wall of silence and create genuine change.
“Businesses must take immediate action. Managers need to be trained to spot the signs and know how to support employees to get the right help.
“Great talent is being lost and demotivated due to a lack of understanding about mental health. Yet, it is perfectly possible for employees to return to work after a mental illness, and not only perform, but excel in their roles.
“Business leaders must be the champions of change: tackling the stigma around mental health, eliminating practices or cultural habits that cause stress, and encouraging people to speak up and to seek help without fear or consequence. Turning a blind eye will only push issues further underground.”
Emma Mamo, head of workplace wellbeing, at Mind, said: “This research from Bupa echoes our own findings – that mental health is still a taboo in the workplace.
"It’s good that organisations are increasingly acknowledging the importance of prioritising the well-being of their staff, with those who make mental health a priority seeing the benefits in terms of increased staff productivity and morale; and decreased sickness absence.
"But clearly senior business leaders still hold some outdated and damaging views about the impact a mental health problem can have on somebody’s ability to carry out their role. We all have mental health and people with mental health problems can perform to a high standard and make a valuable contribution to the business.”
For the study Bupa surveyed 50 business leaders and 500 employees, both with and without mental health conditions.