Mental health and well-being is a hugely important aspect of working life, for both employers and employees. Taking and keeping a job has consistently been shown as a key life goal, and the confidence and self-esteem that employment provides is key to emotional wellbeing. Mental health problems, like depression, or anxiety, arise as a result of a number of complex factors. Over 70 % of people with mental health problems recover, and get on with their lives.

It is estimated that between 15 and 30 % of employees will experience mental health problems at some point, and it can happen to anyone (1). This means that out of the 2.4 million employees in Scotland, as many as 720,000 people can experience mental health problems at the workplace. Given these statistics it is surprising and sad that the stigma surrounding mental health issues in Scottish workplaces is still all too common.

93% of the public believes that people who have experienced mental health problems have skills which are useful in the job market (2) and yet fewer than four in ten employers would consider employing someone with a history of mental health problems (3).

In a 2004 'see me' survey of people with personal experience of mental health problems, the reality of stigma was made clear:

• 57 % of respondents had concealed their psychiatric history for fear of losing their job.
• 43 % had not applied for a job or promotion because of fear of how their mental health history might be perceived
• 43 % said they had felt 'encouraged to leave', or not return to work after being absent because of mental ill health.
• 20 % said they had been denied promotion as a direct result of their mental health problems.

It doesn't have to be like that – and you can make a real difference. A workplace that promotes good mental health achieves more through greater morale and productivity. There are simple, yet inexpensive, steps that workplaces can take to reduce stigma, improve performance, retain staff and improve the working environment for everyone in it.
Managers are a "key audience both for tackling discrimination on the front line, and also, critically, for ensuring that mental health awareness is integrated into everyday management practice" (4).

1. DoH (2002), Mental Health and Employment in the NHS, London
2. DoH (1996)
3. Rosie Winterton MP, Minister of State for Health
4. "See Me…" general public omnibus survey June 2004
5. ODPM Social Exclusion Unit report (June 2004)