“Should we talk about it?”: A study of the experiences business leaders have of employing people with mental health problems

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Pettersen, Kaare Torgny^* | Fugletveit, Ragnhild

Affiliations: Department for Health and Social Science, Østfold University College, Halden, Norway

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Kaare Torgny Pettersen, Østfold University College, Department for Health and Social Science, N-1757 Halden, Norway. E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: BACKGROUND:Job seekers with mental health problems are more at risk of being excluded from the labour market than those without such problems. OBJECTIVE:Our aim has been to explore the experiences business leaders have of employing people with mental health problems and to investigate whether they can suggest what might be done in order to include more job seekers with mental health problems in their companies. METHODS:Our empirical sample consisted of in-depth interviews with ten business leaders who were recruited from five public and five private companies. RESULTS:On the one hand business leaders want more openness in the hiring process in relation to any psychological problems job seekers have. On the other hand, employers were unsure whether job seekers would state that they have or have had mental health problems. CONCLUSION:The study concludes that more attention must be focused on changing business leaders’ attitudes and changing unhealthy corporate cultures that create and sustain the idea that people with mental health problems are disabled. In order to reverse the trend of increasing numbers of people with mental health problems being excluded from the labour market, it seems imperative that business leaders develop their understanding of how the workplace can accommodate employees who have a history of mental health problems.

Keywords: Job seekers, inclusion, openness

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-152125

Journal: Work, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 635-641, 2015