How to look after your staff’s mental health

TREVOR Thurlow woke up one day and decided he wanted to die. While it didn’t cost him his life, his battle with depression has cost him two jobs.

Depression - we can work it out

TREVOR Thurlow woke up one day and decided he wanted to commit suicide. While it didn’t cost him his life, his battle with depression has cost him two jobs.

Mr Thurlow, 35, was diagnosed with depression five years ago. He was working in the freight forwarding industry at the time and his wife had just had a baby. The pressure of life and paying the bills got the better of him.

“I woke up one day and just wasn’t in a good place. I realised I wanted to commit suicide. I spoke to my wife about it and went to see a doctor, and then I was recommended to spend some time in Delmont Hospital.”

After his third relapse, his employer had had enough. “Originally work was supportive, but after my third bout of depression they decided they wanted me gone,” he says. “But they didn’t tell me to resign; they started bullying me — telling me I was hopeless, things like that.”

Personal attacks and insults continued until Mr Thurlow was forced to quit. He only lasted five months at his next job. “They didn’t take too kindly to me having depression. Sometimes I would miss work but was told it wasn’t an excuse, and after five months they made me redundant,” he says.

While he admits he can understand their position, he believes employers need to be more flexible and understanding of people with mental illness. “When they hear someone has a mental illness, they go into panic mode — they don’t have the processes in place to deal with it.”

Mr Thurlow’s experience mirrors that of many Australians. People suffering from mental illness are still being stigmatised by business, according to a new study, keeping them shut out of the one thing that can have the greatest benefit: employment.

Trevor Thurlow, 35, says his new job has been a major part of his recovery.

The latest Empowermental report, produced by not-for-profit employment services provider WISE, has found two in five employers would not consider hiring someone with a mental illness. They cited unpredictable and changeable behaviour (57 per cent), possibility of a breakdown (54 per cent) and too many sick days (43 per cent) as the biggest barriers.

After 13 months out of work, Centrelink put Mr Thurlow in touch with WISE, which helped him get a new job with Victorian food packing company ACC Services.

ACC owner Ingrid Wang, who now employs 11 people with mental illnesses through WISE on a part-time basis, says experience has been overwhelmingly positive.

“They’re all very nice people, same as everyone else. They’re very reliable, they come to work on time, and they get on well with everyone else in the team,” she says.

Ms Wang says she initially had reservations based on a misunderstanding of mental illness. “I was asking silly questions like, ‘Are they violent like you see in the movies?’

“As an employer I’ve learned a lot from this case. I think any company should employ people with mental illness — as long as they come to work and enjoy the work environment and work hard, I can’t see any problem at all.”

Flexible work conditions can benefit both employers and employees.

David Nichols, business manager at WISE, says the biggest misconception for employers is that people with mental illness will cause problems for them. “It is hard. It’s the age-old stigma around mental illness. Statistically speaking, people with mental illness are actually more reliable once they’re slotted into the right flexible working arrangement,” he says.

“Their tendency to turn up and do the job is higher. If you’ve got the right program put together for that person, it works for the employer because that person will know and manage their disability.”

The key is to remain open-minded and flexible, he says. “It’s about having conversations with each person. If they have the skills and attributes to do the job, it’s in the employer’s best interests to work on a program that suits all parties.”

Mr Nichols says employers should provide a reason to talk positively about mental illness by getting involved in fundraising events such as RUOK Day, and schedule regular catch-ups to allow employees to openly talk about their situation, discuss potential issues and agree on positive outcomes.

The Empowermental survey also asked employers to list who they would prioritise in offering work. The lowest priority was given to people with a mental illness (at 29 per cent). Other disadvantaged groups included those learning English as a second language (43 per cent) or who have a physical disability (50 per cent). Employers were more willing to hire those without any TAFE or tertiary experience (66 per cent would consider doing so).

On the plus side, almost two thirds of employers who had taken the step of hiring someone with a mental illness reported positive results, saying the employee fitted in well with the team (78 per cent), was hardworking (67 per cent) and was good for the company (53 per cent).

If you, or someone you know needs help, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Would you hire someone with a mental illness? Leave your comments below or email the writer at [e-mail]