Sixty-nine per cent of employees who’ve experienced a mental health condition worry they’ll be judged at work because of that condition, reveals new research from AXA PPP healthcare.
Seventy-three per cent of those surveyed who’d had a mental health condition such as stress, anxiety or depression said they didn’t feel comfortable speaking with people at work about it and fewer than half (forty-six per cent) said that they felt their employer had given them adequate support.
The AXA PPP poll of 2,000 working people also revealed that:
- 1 in 4 employees (24 per cent) working in larger organisations (250+ employees) had been diagnosed with a mental health condition compared with 19 per cent working in smaller sized firms.
- Twenty-seven per cent of women surveyed said they had been diagnosed with a mental health condition compared with just 19 per cent of men.
- Seventy per cent of those who had experienced a mental health problem said they didn’t like people at work to know about it.
AXA PPP healthcare’s director of psychological services, Dr Mark Winwood, said: “It’s concerning that nearly two thirds of the people we surveyed who said they’d had a mental health problem also indicated they were worried they’d be judged for it at work.
“Stress, anxiety and depression are relatively common but people who experience them are reluctant to open up to others as they fear discrimination, alienation and being stigmatised.
“In the workplace, mental health conditions can be the elephant in the room. By recognising this and positively encouraging open conversations about mental health, employers can take a big step in helping employees who are trying to deal with psychological problems and reduce the associated stigma.”
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