Yvonne Smyth
- Close to half (45%) of professionals in the East of England believe there is unequal access to career progression opportunities because of mental health
- More than two in five (42%) people with a history of mental health conditions say this has affected their chance of being selected for a job
- 53% of people who have ever had a mental health condition are uncomfortable providing information on their mental health status as part of a job application
- Professionals at the beginning of their career are more likely to be experiencing or have experienced a mental health condition
As it’s World Mental Health Day today, please read findings from a survey of over 5,200 professionals and employers have revealed that career progression opportunities are vastly unequal as a result of mental health.
The survey by recruiting experts, Hays found that when asked if respondents had the same opportunities as others in their organisation, the highest perceptions of unequal access to career progression opportunities were attributed to mental health, ahead of factors like age, disability or ethnicity.
Alongside career progression, 42% of people with a history of mental health conditions say this has affected their chance of being selected for a job, significantly higher than the 26% average. 53% of people who have ever had a mental health condition are also uncomfortable providing information on their mental health status when applying for a job.
The survey also highlighted disadvantages with regards to equal pay and mental health as 30% of respondents felt pay was not equal when taking mental health into account.
Generational and regional divide in those experiencing mental health conditions
The results show a clear disparity in professionals’ experience of mental health conditions. Overall across the East of England, over a quarter (26%) of professionals say they currently have or have experienced a mental health condition and notably, professionals at the beginning of their careers are more likely to be experiencing or have experienced a mental health condition.
20% of graduates and 46% of junior employees say they have experienced a mental health condition, compared to 16% of directors and 11% of C-suite staff. Disparity across seniorities also reflects divides across generations, as three in five (60%) of those 25 and under say they have experienced a mental health condition compared to 23% of those aged 55+.
There are differences in experiences of mental health conditions regionally too, as a fifth of professionals working in London say they have experienced a mental health condition, compared to over a third (35%) of professionals in Wales. For professionals working in the North East, 32% said this was the case compared to 21% in the West Midlands.
Yvonne Smyth, Group Head of Diversity and Inclusion, commented: “It’s clear from our research that experience of mental health conditions is becoming more apparent and as such employers need to step up to negate the concerns employees have around unequal access to career progression linked with mental health.
Structured career progression plans for all professionals regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or mental health history can help address this – and support everybody, regardless of background, to achieve their full potential within an organisation.
For employers, it may be small steps initially, such as talking more openly about mental health and what resources are available, or ensuring managers have access to training in order to better spot signs of mental ill health.”
