BBC Breakfast News story highlights mental health at work worries

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16th May 2011 11:32 a.m.

Steve Cooksley

BBC Breakfast News ran an interesting story this morning (16 May 2011) highlighting the anxiety felt by one in five people in disclosing a mental health problem to their employers for fear of subsequent prejudice and even dismissal.  

The report focusses on two separate cases where an employee has disclosed a mental illness to their employer, and how each case was treated very differently by the company.

Worth watching to see how a good organisation can deal with an employee's mental health issues with empathy and respect, whilst other companies still have a long way to go in this area.

I feel that the supermarket in this piece that had apparently behaved so appallingly should have been 'named and shamed'; they are all to quick to appear on the breakfast programme when their financial results have been announced, usually to great delight from their CEO looking for free advertising, and to be questioned on how their corporate policy on mental health awareness fell so short of the mark would have made interesting viewing.

Watch the full report on the BBC News website here.

Filed under: Write way campaign

Steve Cooksley

scooksley

Steve is a web officer for the communications department at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.

He is also development manager for Develop Bromley, an organisation that promotes social inclusion within the London Borough of Bromley, which incorporates DevelopARTS, a network of artists/crafts persons, arts, third-sector, statutory and research organisations.

steve.cooksley@oxleas.nhs.uk

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