Any of us might experience mental health difficulties at some point in our lives.  One in six of the UK workforce already do. Any company or organisation is already employing people who experience mental health difficulties, whether it knows it or not.

All workplaces benefit from diversity, new ideas and fresh thinking as well as motivated staff who want the company or organisation to succeed.

Research has shown that given the opportunity, people with mental health difficulties take less sick leave than average and show greater loyalty to their employers.

People who have experienced, or who experience, mental health difficulties are not a different kind of person.  History of mental health difficulty does not effect how well someone will do in a job – their experience, skills, attitude and competencies do.

The Section 3 of Shift Line Managers Resource, a guide to mental health and the workplace, deals with recruitment and ways to focus on the individual:

Tags: guide to mental health, mental health difficulties, sick leave, workplace benefits