People 'should discuss health concerns'

People should not be afraid to tell others about their health concerns, one expert has said.

Mike Petrook, head of communications at the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), said that many people are not reporting any health problems to their managers at work, which is leading to more serious problems down the line.

His comments came after a new survey, published by mental health charity Rethink, showed that nearly six in ten British workers would feel uncomfortable talking to their line manager if they had a mental health condition such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.

Mr Petrook said there is "clearly a need" for training so that line managers know how to deal with these issues, but at the same time there needs to be a greater level of employee engagement so that staff feel that they can turn to the HR department if such a situation arises.

"On [the] one hand, yes they need to have an open and honest relationship with their line manager, but on the other hand they the HR team is there as a support," he said.

The expert added that the onus is on organisations to make sure that people understand what sort of behaviour is acceptable and what is right and wrong with regards to a colleague who is suffering from a mental problem or one they suspect to be.

According to the Rethink report, fear of losing their job was the main reason people gave for feeling uncomfortable, closely followed by concern about colleagues finding out about their diagnosis, while 18 per cent of respondents said they would be concerned that their line manager would think they were "mad" or overlook them for promotion.

Mr Petrook stated: "The issue therefore means that we need to create a culture in organisations where discussing health concerns is not taboo. The reason for that is you have got to be able to help people through these problems."

Posted by Stephen Tate

Take a look at our Health Insurance Plans.  

Adfero Ltd provides live and tailored breaking industry news for Chartis Direct. All industry news is prepared by Adfero Ltd and as such does not represent the views or opinions of Chartis Direct a trading name of UNAT Direct Insurance Management Limited.

© Adfero Ltd 2008