Helping people find sustainable employment and keeping them fit, even if mental health problems are a factor

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Within the Academic Collaborative Center of Work and Health researchers and practitioners collaborate in research and exchange of knowledge in the relevant fields. Projects within the Center aim to promote sustainable employment and employability. We talked to Endowed Professor Evelien Brouwers about what it takes to help people find sustainable employment and to keep them fit, even if mental health problems are a factor. 

Focus on what employees find truly important

“As part of our research, we look at Work and Health in terms of wellbeing and ‘values’: the things that people find truly important. In this context, we use the Capability approach (in Dutch) as a theoretical framework, its leading principle being that it is important for people’s wellbeing that they can essentially be and do what they consider valuable, and that they have a choice in this. Suppose it is really important for employees that they can pick up their child from school or provide informal care for a sick parent. If an employer structurally ignores this deep-felt wish, this can lead to stress, which can result in absence and premature departure. However, if an employer takes due account of the values of individual workers and is willing to help realize them, employees feel seen and acknowledged, will continue longer with the same employer, and perform and feel better at work. It is the key to better sustainable employability, but the impact of this idea has been limited in practice.” 

Most people with health problems are able to contribute to the labor market, whether or not with certain facilities or under certain conditions. But still we see that this limited way of thinking about sickness and health continues to be subconsciously applied. 

The current labor market requires different perspective of sickness vs. health 

“We are in the midst of a major shift in the way we think about sickness and health. This has been traditionally rather black and white: You are either sick or you are healthy – and if you are sick, you need to get better first before you can (go back to) work. This approach is not realistic and is not beneficial to society as a whole. The tightness on the job market alone requires looking at sickness and health from a different angle. Most people with health problems are able to contribute to the labor market, whether or not with certain facilities or under certain conditions. But still we see that this limited way of thinking about sickness and health continues to be subconsciously applied. Research is frequently still focused on interventions geared to “repairing” employees with mental problems rather than on adapting the working environment.”

Unfortunately, openness on mental health problems often leads to discrimination. HR policy needs to be oriented towards supporting rather than towards disqualifying employees with health problems. 

Openness about psychological symptoms is important, but not very common

“To help people with mental health problems participate in the labor market, it is very important that there is a safe working environment where the employee can alert someone at an early stage if things are not going so well, so the employee does not have to fear any negative consequences career-wise. Support by supervisors and colleagues, talking about what might help prevent the symptoms from getting worse or prevent sickness absence, and temporary work adjustments might help. It is crucial that employees discuss with their supervisors what they need. Unfortunately, openness on mental health problems often leads to discrimination (in Dutch). HR policy needs to be oriented towards supporting rather than towards disqualifying employees with health problems. Finally it is important that people do work that suits them and that gives them positive energy. In our research, we saw that people who were absent due to mental issues for more than six months often no longer liked the content of their work.

Employers must learn to look beyond prejudice and stigma, talk with their employees about their values and talents, and explore together how employees can achieve their optimal potential.”

Fear of stigma

In research among the Dutch Military, we found that the barriers to discussing mental health symptoms were almost all related to the fear of stigma and of being treated negatively as a result. But also in our other studies, we saw that fear of negative consequences for people’s careers were barriers to discussing their needs. And that fear turns out to be well-founded. We found that 30% of Dutch supervisors indicated that they preferred not to hire applicants that used to have mental issues, even if the applicants had recovered. A different PhD study, among welfare recipients with mental illness, clearly showed the negative effect of stigma. We asked participants in the experimental group to think carefully about what they did and did not want to say about their mental health problems when applying for a job, with the help of this question prompt list (in Dutch). After six months, they were twice as likely to have found paid work as the control group, where there was no intervention. And this effect still existed after a year. The results show that it is not the psychological problems themselves but rather the stigma involved that is a barrier to finding paid work. The way in which people communicate about their psychological problems is therefore crucial to their sustainable employability.”

“All in all, the key to sustainable employability is finding the right person to fit the right job. Employers must learn to look beyond prejudice and stigma, talk with their employees about their values and talents, and explore together how employees can achieve their optimal potential.”