Research by Unum and the Mental Health Foundation has revealed huge differences between line managers understanding of mental health issues and the challenges actually faced by employees.
According to the survey by YouGov, only half of line managers feel confident that they could recognise signs that a member of their team was having problems coping and only a third of workers who have experienced a mental health problem in the past five years have felt well supported by their manager.
The research shows that employees place a much greater importance on good line management relationships and a zero tolerance approach to stigma than line managers, with nearly two thirds (64 per cent) of workers who have experienced a mental health problem calling for a zero tolerance approach to mental health stigma in the workplace, compared to only 44 per cent of line managers.
Worryingly, line managers routinely overestimate how well their workplace supports mental health and wellbeing. Nearly half (45 per cent) of managers surveyed think that an employee experiencing a mental health problem would be supported to remain in work by making reasonable adjustments to their role, but less than a fifth of workers who have experienced distress say they have actually received such support.
The research also found that a lived experience of a mental health problem could be a valuable resource in the workplace, as these workers feel much better prepared to be able to support colleagues who are experiencing distress. Nearly three quarters (73 per cent) of workers who have experienced a mental health problem say that they would know how to have conversation with a colleague who was finding it hard to cope, compared to just 60% of line managers who have not experienced any mental health problems.
Overall, 58% of respondents who had a mental health problem in the past five years had chosen to disclose this to an employer during this time, with just over half (54%) reporting a mainly positive experience, but 15 per cent reporting a mainly negative experience, such as being discriminated against.
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