Northern Ireland

More than half of employees do not believe workplaces support staff suffering mental ill health

Chief commissioner Michael Wardlow said problems arise `when there's a gap between having the policy, making sure all staff know about it and implementing it'
Chief commissioner Michael Wardlow said problems arise `when there's a gap between having the policy, making sure all staff know about it and implementing it' Chief commissioner Michael Wardlow said problems arise `when there's a gap between having the policy, making sure all staff know about it and implementing it'

MORE than half of employees do not believe their workplaces support staff when they suffer mental ill health, new research has shown.

The Equality Commission report also reveals that despite 69 per cent of employees believing "their workplace as welcoming and inclusive", 51 per cent of people also do not think their workplaces seek to accommodate employees from different cultures.

And 29 per cent do not believe staff are being treated in a consistent way in line with workplace policies or are able to challenge unwanted behaviour.

An area of concern highlighted is that more than half of employees who experience "unwanted behaviour" at work are not reporting it to their bosses, new research has shown.

One in five Northern Ireland workers say they have been subjected to the behaviour in the past 12 months and a quarter have "witnessed it" in their workplace.

These behaviours are on the grounds of sex (27 per cent), religion (24 per cent) and politics (20 per cent).

The report, reveals staff in the private sector and those with no unions are less likely to feel that their workplaces are "welcoming and inclusive".

And employees from workplaces with no unions were also less likely to agree with the statements such as `I believe the actions of my

organisation are consistent with an inclusive workplace'.

They also felt less able (46 per cent versus 52 per cent) to challenge unwanted behaviour.

"These results show that while many workers feel secure and respected at work, there's still a sizeable minority for whom work is a very different experience," chief commissioner Michael Wardlow said.

"One in five employees personally experienced unwanted behaviour at work in the previous 12 months, yet only 11 per cent said they had raised the issue through their workplace’s formal procedures - and 52 per cent did not raise the issue at all."

Dr Wardlow said more than 80 per cent of employers have policies in place to deal with some of the areas where employees report difficulties.

"Problems arise when there's a gap between having the policy, making sure all staff know about it and, crucially, implementing it.

"There are still clearly areas where action is needed to make workplaces more supportive and inclusive of all workers, but... many employers want to get workplaces right."

He added around 150 companies have signed up to its Mental Health Charter.