One in five social care workers afraid to discuss their mental health with employer
By Career Advice, , , ,

A new study released by job board CV-Library, ahead of World Mental Health Day, reveals that 21.5% of social care professionals are too afraid to tell their employer that they’re suffering with poor mental health, with four in ten (41.9%) claiming that their boss wouldn’t care.

The study, which surveyed 2,000 UK professionals, shows a chasm between bosses and employees in relation to mental health. In fact, 31.9% of social care professionals fear they’d be judged unfairly if they told their boss about their concerns, while 25.3% simply believe their employer is unapproachable.

In addition to the above, 33.6% of social care professionals say that they feel anxious about key aspects of their jobs, including:

  • Neglecting personal relationships because of work (34.8%)
  • The potential of being fired (26.7%)
  • Turning up late (26.2%)
  • Dealing with senior members of staff (19.4%)

Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library comments: “When your mental health is suffering, it can feel like you have nobody to turn to. Take the opportunity this World Mental Health Day to start a dialogue with your employer or a trusted manager.

“If your employer isn’t aware of your mental health problems, how can they help to ease your anxieties? When you arrange to meet with them, come prepared with a letter from your GP and an idea of what reasonable adjustments would help you. Hopefully this will speed up the process and you’ll soon see beneficial changes to your working environment.”

Worryingly, 36.4% of social workers claim that their anxieties affect their performance in the workplace, with 47.4% feeling constantly stressed, 32.5% always worrying about failure and 23.6% being less likely to take on new challenges due to self-doubt.

Biggins continues: “Poor mental health can take on many forms; whether it’s a drop in productivity, general detachment or burnout. Worrying is a part of life, but if it becomes persistent and interferes with your daily activity, it can sap your energy and make it hard to concentrate at work. Don’t delay talking to your boss, as they may be able to help out more than you think.”

Picture (c) Pixabay.