How To Reduce Mental Health Stigma At Work

What is mental health stigma at work?

Mental health stigma refers to negative thoughts, feelings, and prejudices against people dealing with mental health challenges. This stigma can result in discrimination, leaving affected individuals with fewer opportunities socially and professionally. 

In a workplace context, mental health stigma would mean employees or potential employees were being treated differently from others because of their mental health. 

Mental health stigma at work can result in a conscious or unconscious bias, and may be displayed in a variety of different ways: 

• Use of insulting phrases directed at the affected employee
• Leaving the affected employee out of discussions with other colleagues
• Talking about the affected employee negatively behind their back 
• Being overlooked for promotions or other opportunities 
• Losing their job as a result of their mental health 

Ultimately, this can result in a reduction in employee morale, self-confidence, and self-esteem, as well as impact their productivity and motivation at work.

Why is it important to destigmatise mental health in the workplace?

According to the Scottish Mental Illness Stigma Study (2022), 71% of respondents agreed that they had been treated unfairly by employers, supervisors, or managers as a result of their mental health. 57% agreed that they were treated unfairly by work colleagues. 

Not only do these statistics show that there is a widespread problem with mental health stigma at work, but also that it is a problem that needs to be addressed at the very top level of organisations and workplaces. 

How are employees protected from mental health stigma and discrimination?

Employers have a duty of care towards their employees and are required to look after the mental and physical health and wellbeing of their employees. As an employer, it is illegal to discriminate against individuals living with a disability, including mental health conditions. 

A mental health condition can be considered a disability if:

• It is a long-term condition that is expected to last more than 12 months 
• The condition is impacting day-to-day activities
• The condition has a substantial negative impact on their life

If you have an employee or employees with mental health conditions meeting these criteria, you are legally obligated to provide reasonable adjustments to them. Examples of reasonable adjustments include: 

• Adapting working hours
• Making adjustments to their work environment 
• Offering equipment, services, and support 
• Offering hybrid or home working 
• Providing extra supervision 
• Organising extra training 
• Adapting work volume

Strategies for reducing mental health stigma in the workplace

There are various ways to begin destigmatising mental health in your workplace. We have put together some strategies that you can implement at work to help build a more inclusive, supportive work environment:

Talk about mental health at work

Creating an environment where open communication is encouraged can reduce the stigma around mental health and make people less fearful of advocating for their needs in case of repercussions. 

Talking about mental health at work can encourage employees to speak up about what support or adjustments they need to do their job to the best of their ability.

The importance of talking about mental health at work

Mental health stigma can discourage individuals from speaking up about their experiences and getting the support they need. In fact, 75% of individuals surveyed for the Scottish Mental Illness Stigma Study (2022) agreed that they had stopped themselves from discussing their mental health needs and experiences at work, with 53% feeling pressured to avoid such discussions. 

Encouraging a space for confidential, open communication about the mental health and wellbeing needs of your employees can help them feel more supported and ensure they are aware of any support available to them. It can also reduce the shame attached to mental health stigma.  

How to effectively talk about mental health in the workplace

Having sensitive conversations about your employees’ mental health can be challenging, and it isn’t always easy to know how to approach these conversations. Here are some top tips for effectively having these discussions: 

• Find a comfortable, private space to have discussions about mental health
• Clarify that the discussion is completely confidential and won’t be shared with anyone, unless there is a good reason to do so or you believe they are at risk 
• Be flexible about when and where you have these talks 
• Be positive, patient, calm, and supportive
• Actively listen to your employee and what they are saying 
• Be clear about the options for support and reasonable adjustments available to them
• Ask open questions
• Use sensitive language and avoid using terms that are negative or potentially offensive
• Be reassuring and encourage them to seek further help if they seem to be at risk 

Invest in mental health training

Mental health stigma is often a result of poor knowledge and understanding of mental health and the impact it can have on people. Providing mental health training for your staff and management can help improve this knowledge and reduce mental health stigma. 

At Onebright, we offer a range of mental health training courses that are suitable for all types of employees, including entire workforces, HR professionals, team leaders, and high-performing teams working in pressurised environments. 

Show a visible commitment to mental health and wellbeing support

To effectively tackle mental health stigma at work, it is important to show a visible commitment to the mental health and wellbeing of your employees. Creating a holistic, integrated mental health strategy can help you demonstrate your commitment. 

Mental health policies

Creating a comprehensive mental health policy will outline the strategies your company are using to address the mental health needs of your employees from the top down.

Mental health policies are written documents that should be shared across an organisation and reviewed regularly to ensure you are adhering to them. 

Mental health support 

Investing in mental health services ensures your employees have access to expert, evidence-based mental health support. 

From therapies and counselling to specialist support, ensuring your employees are aware of the provisions available to them can help them feel supported and confident when seeking help. 

Neurodiversity support

It is also important to implement support for neurodiverse employees to ensure they are able to complete their work to the best of their ability and feel confident while doing so. 

Neurodevelopmental services that you might consider investing in include neurodevelopmental training and autism and ADHD assessments. 

Workplace mental health support with Onebright

At Onebright, we support over 60,000 people a year with their mental health and count more than 200 businesses as our clients. 

Our clinical network stretches across the United Kingdom, providing expert, evidence-based mental health services tailored to the needs of your business. 

We are dedicated to offering end-to-end mental health solutions that help improve workplace mental health. If you are an employer looking to invest in the mental health and wellbeing of your team, contact us today to find out how we can help. 

If you want to know more about our mental health services for the workplace or for an individual, please don’t hesitate to contact us using the contact form below.