How to stop mental health discrimination at work

• May 05, 2021
• Author: Katie Clough

There are many different aspects of diversity and inclusivity that businesses need to acknowledge when they update their processes.

Many companies have been showing their commitment to building fairer and more diverse ways of working.

The challenge and impact of managing mental health in the workplace is often overlooked during conversations about diversity and inclusion, but it is important to discuss the emotional effects of discrimination on mental health.

It is important to see how diversity and mental health are interlinked. In the past, there have been mental health discrimination cases companies need to focus on supporting the Mental Health of their employees as a part of your Diversity and Inclusion processes.

Not only is it important to be inclusive of those living with mental ill health, but it is necessary to recognise the negative impact on mental wellbeing as a direct cause of discrimination.
 

 

How discrimination impacts the Mental Wellbeing of your employees

Mental Health and Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) are closely connected.

Mental health discrimination at work and stigma can face a lack of representation, microaggressions, unconscious bias and other stressors that impact their mental health and psychological safety at work.

This can have a negative effect on your employees mental health, which is damaging to the individual and also your company.

Not supporting the equality and diversity mental health of your employees can result in low employee satisfaction, a lack of productivity and may even be against the mental health discrimination act.

For more information about how to manage mental health in the workplace see our YouTube video here:

 

Why should I include Mental Health in my Diversity and Inclusivity Processes?

Both factors are extremely important and also relative to each other. Employers striving to achieve a fully diverse workforce, will need to focus on their mental health diversity and support in their workplaces and their community. You cannot truly create a diverse workforce with mental health discrimination in the workplace.

Creating an inclusive working environment is something that needs to be sensitively executed to optimize fairness and equality for everyone.

There are numerous aspects of diversity which can be applicable in different ways to people, for example, due to racial, gender, sexuality, religious or disabled discrimination.

When you are improving your cultural diversity and mental health considerations for policy and practice, it is important to question how does diversity affect us and understand diversity in mental health.

 

How can I improve the Mental Health Diversity in my company:

There are many ways in which you can start to focus on improving the equality and diversity mental health initiative at your company.

• The first thing to do is to look at Give A Grad A Go’s guide to Mental, Physical and Social Wellbeing in the workplace.
• We would also recommend finding out what is diversity in the workplace.
• Looking up examples of mental health discrimination at work.
• Researching mental health stigma statistics.
• Plus, reviewing your processes to see where you might be able to improve good mental health of diverse employees.

7 Ways to Foster Good Mental Health through your Inclusivity:

1. Inclusion, belonging and an environment of psychological safety
2. Productive conversations
3. Genuine care shown by leaders and lead from the top
4. Support 
5. Following up with people who have previously needed support
6. Encouraging your team to be as open as possible
7. Host an inclusive and diverse environment where people feel as though they can be open and accepted

 

Risk Factors for Mental Health in the Working World:         

If you are looking to reduce mental health discrimination in workplace environments then it could be worth performing a risk assessment to find areas that you can work on. Here are some mental health discrimination examples to be aware of:

• Inadequate health and safety policies
• Poor communication and management practices
• Limited participation in decision-making
• Low levels of support for employees
• Inflexible working hours
• Unclear tasks or organizational objectives
• Unsuitable tasks for a person’s competencies
• A high and unrelenting workload
• A lack of team cohesion or social support
• Bullying and psychological harassment

If you want more tips and advice on how to create an inclusive working environment and eliminate mental health discrimination then head over to our YouTube channel to find out more.

• May 05, 2021
• Author: Katie Clough