Getting Support From My Employer
Employers can help
If you are finding work stressful or struggling because of a mental health problem then your employer should be able to offer you support. The Equality Act requires employers to be flexible and make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for people with disabilities to enable them to do their jobs.
These reasonable adjustments do not need to be complicated and should help you to do your job more effectively, which will benefit your employer as well. The type of adjustment (or change) that you agree will vary depending on your role, the size of your organisation and your individual needs.
Examples of adjustments
Workplace adjustments can be temporary or made on a permanent basis. The HSE gives some handy examples and also provides real life case studies which give examples of good practice.
Check out these sites for some useful examples of how reasonable adjustments may help you and your mental health.
- 'Making reasonable adjustments at work for people with mental health problems' by The Scottish Association for Mental Health. This guide refers to the Disability Discrimination Act which is now covered by the Equality Act.
- Role play from Shift about adjustments required to make it easier for an employee to return to work
- The Equalities and Human Rights Commission have an excellent web resource full of guidance for workers about your rights.
Other Support
Although the law is there to protect you from discrimination your employer's duties are based on them knowing about your disability. If you choose not to disclose fully to your employer, you can still talk about things that are making your job difficult, such as workload, communication and your working environment.
Some of these tips from Mind might give you an idea of where you could ask for support or changes to be made.
Need support?
If you are experiencing mental health problems or need urgent support, there are lots of places you can go for help.
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