Workplace discrimination still rife against people with mental health problems, new research shows
Workplaces are being warned to change their culture as research reveals nearly half of Scottish workers fear discrimination from colleagues.
A YouGov survey of 1,165 Scottish workers also found 46% disagreed that their work would support someone if they revealed mental health problems.
The survey was commissioned by See Me, the national programme to end mental health discrimination, to coincide with a new campaign called the Power of OK.
It is encouraging employers across Scotland to improve mental health so staff feel safe to speak out if they are struggling.
See Me said the figures demonstrate serious concerns about how mental health is treated in the workplace.
Judith Robertson, See Me programme director, said: “You don’t have to be an expert to speak about mental health, just asking someone if they are okay can be a powerful thing.
“In the workplace, there needs to be enough trust and openness for people with mental health problems to feel confident enough to talk, without the fear that they will be stigmatised and discriminated against.
“It is against the law to discriminate against someone because of a mental health condition, but if people don’t feel they will be supported by management, as the figures show, then people won’t be able to speak about important issues.
“To start to change this we are launching The Power of Okay, so people know that making a difference to colleague’s mental health can start with having a simple conversation.”
The campaign includes a video and poem that will appear on cinema screens, about the isolation people feel when they can’t speak out at work.
Ian Greenhill, one of the founders of production company Something Something, wrote and performed the poem, based on his own experiences.
“I personally think it's important to start the discussion about mental health and the simple start-off point of "okay" seemed really powerful,” he said.
“We just want a discussion to be started rather than people being scared of saying the wrong thing and just not saying anything.
“If we all start out at that base level of human kindness, I think the world - and workplace - would be a lot better.”
The Power of Okay campaign will be shown in cinemas across Scotland, as well as online and on radio through November and December.
