Would you disclose that you have a mental health condition to your manager?
If you are a manager, are you comfortable responding to someone who does?
Consider this research: around 50% of managers believe that none of their employees will experience a mental health problem at work.
This research was pre-Covid. It may be different today. But I wonder if that number masked a bigger issue then and one that is growing now?
With a mental health pandemic running parallel to the Covid one, many in management still lack confidence and competence to raise the issue, to recognise the signs and know what support to offer and how. Maybe not believing or seeing it was one response to this.
Unsurprisingly there has been a rush for mental health training for managers over the last year. I am grateful to have provided some of this training. But I suspect that for some organisations, it’s still a ‘tick a box’ exercise.
Yet participants are hungry for information & skills.
In a recent HBR article on disclosure at work, the key take-away for managers is: “Make yourself “tell-able”.”
Remember managers don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to fix it. Start by believing your employee and listen without judgment.
???? So, would you disclose a mental health issue to your manager?
Link to the actual article here: https://hbr.org/2021/02/when-your-employee-discloses-a-mental-health-condition