A study conducted by SANE Australia has shown that most Australians who suffer from mental illness do not receive enough support at work.

SANE Australia's Working life and mental illness study has found that three quarters of its 520 survey respondents had never received information or help from government programs designed to assist workers to maintain their job.

Further, a staggering 95% of the charity's survey respondents said their employers and workplace managers need to be educated on mental illness, and at the moment do not have the skills to effectively manage the affects in the workplace.
Despite 60% of survey respondents reporting their mental illness had not been a barrier for them finding employment, most said they had not received ongoing support once in the job.

SANE executive director, Barbara Hocking said that with one in five Australians suffering some form of mental illness, "'the survey paints a concerning and unsatisfactory picture of Australian workplaces".

Hocking said a major problem was the sheer lack of flexibility, and mental illness sufferers are not offered enough options relating to part-time work, occasional work from home, or having adjustments made on the work site itself.
"As a result, businesses lose experienced employees and have to spend time and money investing in new people," she added.

Federal Minister for Mental Health, Mark Butler, has acknowledged that Australia employs fewer people with a mental illness than many other countries.

On its JobAccess website the government calls for the opening up of conversations in the workplace, and states that the greatest barrier that people with mental illness experience in relation to employment results from stigma and stereotyping among employers and co-workers.

When it comes to talking about mental illness in the workplace, JobAccess, a government arm which provides and workplace solutions for the employment of people with disability said on its website, "Removing the barriers to education, open discussion, flexibility and acceptance will ultimately allow those needing medical attention and social support to seek help and receive it."

To open up conversations about mental illness in the workplace, JobAccess provided the following points of information:

  • You might like to remind people in your team that though it is not visible, mental illness affects one in five people and is therefore very common.
  • People might be interested to know that workplace strategies to reduce stress can also reduce the incidence of mental illness.
  • People at work like to gossip and in those conversations mental illness is often talked about negatively and inaccurately. Use these opportunities to challenge people's assumptions and misinformation. Discuss stories about mental illness that challenge myths and celebrate the strengths of those who courageously live with and recover from mental illness.
  • Equip yourself with some facts, statistics and basic information about mental illness so that you can stimulate conversation and broaden other people's understanding.