An article about dilemma of disclosing mental health problems to prospective employers including a case study about someone doing this and getting the job.
Disclosing a past mental health problem to your employer can work both ways, writes Craig Kenny, who finds that disability legislation fails to offer adequate protection
One in four of us will suffer a mental health problem in our lives, but how many of us will tell our boss about it?
When Christine Laird applied for the post of chief executive at Cheltenham Council, she chose not to disclose a history of depression.
She later went off sick for more than a year, and then found herself being sued – unsuccessfully – by her employer (see panel, below).
Evidence suggests that few people disclose health problems to prospective employers and, given the stigma attached, people with mental health disorders are probably even less forthcoming.
According to the Department for Work and Pensions, just 180 – or 0.7% – of the 27,000 people with a disability who claim government grants to help them stay in work have declared a mental disorder.
