Build back better to support those with poor mental health to overcome income inequalities

These changes have been positive for many people with mental health problems, who have long found inflexible working arrangements and discrimination a barrier to employment. The pandemic, therefore, presents a unique opportunity for employers to learn and build back better – by making long term changes that will help employees with mental health problems access employment and thrive in the workplace.

Entrenched barriers to work and progression 

Research by the Mental Health and Income Commission (led by the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute) shows that people with mental health problems are less likely to be in work (48%) than those without mental health problems (79%). The reasons for this go beyond being too unwell to work and include the entrenched and systemic barriers to employment and workplace progression that people with mental health problems face. 

People with mental ill-health can find that their symptoms mean that full-time work can be overwhelming, and for some, it can be an impossibility. Part-time work can therefore be a lifeline for many, but it is also often low paid. People with mental health problems can also find it difficult to increase their wages due to a limited pool of quality part-time positions.

These systemic issues contribute to the significant mental health income gap. Typical average incomes for people with common mental health conditions are £8,400 lower than for the rest of the population. 

Biased recruitment practices and inflexible employers can also make it challenging to secure, retain and progress in work. One in five (19%) people with mental health problems say they have suffered workplace discrimination, such as being passed over for promotion or being made redundant as a direct result of their mental ill-health. Of those who asked for a reasonable adjustment for their mental health, more than two-thirds (68%) said their request was rejected or only partly met. Against this backdrop, it is no surprise that more than four in 10 (43%) people with mental health problems report being worried about returning to their typical working arrangements after lockdown. 

Building back better – five key asks for employers

The final report of the Mental Health and Income Commission sets out a series of recommendations on how employers (as well as government) can help address the systemic barriers that people with mental ill-health face in accessing jobs and thriving in the workplace, and to help reduce concerns that the pandemic might further entrench income inequalities.

The Commission made five key recommendations specifically for employers to tackle the entrenched barriers to work and progression that many people with mental health problems face. Not only will these help to better support those with a mental health illness, but it can also improve an individual’s income prospects and, in turn, their financial wellbeing. 

1. Support the mental health and incomes of staff while furloughed and when they return. By maintaining regular contact during furlough and routinely providing signposting to income maximisation and debt advice services when incomes are reduced.
2. Provide mental health training for line managers. Give managers the skills and resources they need to better support employees. A longer-term ambition is for employers to make mental health training a requirement for all line managers. 
3. Offer roles flexibly by default. Employers should maximise opportunities for employees to work in ways that suit their needs. Flexibility might include remote working, condensed hours or facilitating more breaks by reducing lunch hours – to name just a few.
4. Offer secondments, shadowing, volunteering and buddying opportunities. These can help people struggling with mental health problems to settle into and try out new roles, helping them to sustain employment and progress in work. 
5. Develop a list of reasonable adjustments for mental health problems and proactively offer them to employees. The mental health charity Rethink provides a useful resource on what reasonable adjustments for mental health problems might look like; ideas include temporary or permanent changes to people’s working patterns, workload, support needs or working environment.  

Employers have an important role as we ‘build back better’ after the pandemic. Supporting people with mental health problems in the workplace not only benefits the individual concerned but contributes to a more diverse and inclusive workplace, where all employees can thrive. It will also help ensure that the pandemic does not further entrench the shocking income inequalities that too many people with mental health problems already face, and will help improve financial wellbeing.

For more information, our new best practice checklist for employers sets out more ways to support the emotional and financial wellbeing of employees with mental health problems.