Congress participated in two launches this week in relation to mental health and the workplace.
"BREAKING THE SILENCE OF SUICIDE IN THE WORKPLACE" was launched 31st January by Console and the Irish Hospice Foundation who have jointly produced a guide aimed at helping employers to respond appropriately when a workplace is affected by suicide, whether through the death of an employee or where a staff member is impacted by a suicide outside of the workplace. Over 500 people die by suicide each year and the impact on those left behind can be significant and wide-ranging especially in what can be the close community or team settings of the workplace. The guide - which was jointly launched by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and the Irish Business and Employers' Confederation (IBEC) - is designed to help employers respond sensitively and effectively to the four main suicide bereavement situations which can occur in the workplace:
1. When an employee dies by suicide on-site
2. When an employee dies by suicide off-site
3. When an employee is affected by the suicide of someone who is close to them
4. When a former employee dies by suicide
Both organisations acknowledged the support of Esther Lynch from Congress. David Begg, General Secretary of ICTU, stated: "It is vital that the modern workplace has in place agreed systems and practices designed to deal with the aftermath of a death by suicide. This guide will help workplaces to achieve this. But we must also acknowledge there can be a link between working conditions and suicide and how improving those conditions can be beneficial for suicide prevention. This is of particular importance at a time when working people everywhere are under enormous pressure and suffering with the strain of the current crisis."
On 2nd February, two new guides on Equality and Mental Health were launched. "Equality and Mental Health - how the law can help you" provides practical information for people with experience of mental health difficulties on their equality rights in employment and access to services.
"Equality and mental health - what the law means for your workplace" provides information for employers on their responsibilities towards employees and potential employees with experience of mental health issues. The guide explains the legal requirement for employers to provide reasonable accommodation for employees and potential employees with experience of mental health difficulties.
They were developed for the See Change programme and campaign which aims to reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with mental health difficulties in Ireland. Speaking at the launch, Congress Equality Officer, David Joyce, made the point that the guides were an important reminder that mental health difficulties are in fact covered under the disability ground and that discrimination, harassment or victimisation because of a mental health were against the law and that workers had an entitlement to reasonable accommodation - i.e meeting the needs of someone with a mental health difficulty so that they can participate in employment, for example by allowing flexible working. Issues of disclosure and making a complaint are also covered in the guides. He went on to add that the most reliable way of ensuring that working conditions contribute towards positive mental health outcomes is through people having the freedom to express their concerns, organise and participate in decisions that affect their lives.
The need for such resources was further underlined by an OECd release : "Employment: mental health issues rising in workplace" on 12 February.
lThe press release observes: "Increasing job insecurity and pressure in today's workplaces could drive a rise in mental health problems in the years ahead, says the OECD. The share of workers exposed to work-related stress, or job strain, has increased in the past decade all across the OECD. And in the current economic climate, more and more people are worried about their job security."
Do the OECD and other organisations and governments pay sufficient attention to this risk when they constantly demand greater job flexibility and making it easier for employers to fire workers?
