Career Chat // Workplace stigma // Friday, 12 Aug. 10am AEST

[Renstar]

Of course you're making sense! @Sehnsucht 

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@Sehnsucht wrote:
So that ignorance from that point,if maintained, becomes wilfull. But hopefully, much ignorance gets turned with education.

Not sure I am making much sense today, apologies!

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 I believe you've hit the nail on the head @Sehnsucht   

Education is the way to go.

 There's plenty of research that shows education is a good way to undermine stigma.

 ... What about anecdotal evidence?

 have your efforts  to teach colleagues about your mental illness had a positive result ?

[Former-Member]

@Sehnsucht, that's kind of ironic..isn't it proven for mood regulation keeping active is great. I think the topic gets heavy in people's minds. It need not be so much so. I think clever marketing would water this down somewhat, to promote a more open conversation toward MI, it's impacts, it's realities, & that yes we are all different! We just struggle in different area's, as multi faceted as that maybe!!

[Sehnsucht]

@Former-Member, you have no idea the extent the ironies go.

I once was put on a training course that culminated in me being given space to come up with,present, and potentially run a program or fundraiser or any type of project.

I proposed ideas that hoped to make the facilities more inclusive, or the brand more inclusive (outside the facility). Such as providing trainers to wards for 'exercise therapy' where wards already have static bikes and floor mats and some weights.

My employers (previous employer and facility to that which I work now) answer? "Oh we tried funding free memberships to women with mood disorders, no one came. So we've tried, it just doesn't work."

....because money is ONLY hurdle for someone housebound and detached from the community with an MI, in particular a mood disorder. I felt like smacking their head to the table.

[Former-Member]

😂 !!! @Sehnsucht

[Sehnsucht]

@Renstar,

And that example was onr where I just did not have the mind working with the mouth, or the energy, or felt I had enough protection, to educate my employer on the ridiculousness of what she was saying.

So yes to anecdotal proof and what was done in those situations. But as a resource, readily available, to link employers or colleagues to.

[Sehnsucht]

Sigh. If you want to go deeply ironic, that organisation founded itself upon getting depressed, unemployed men together and playing a game of the organisation's own invention, during the industrial revolution.

Not all facilities in the brand run that way. But still. Mind blowing ignorance.

[Renstar]

@Former-Member And @Sehnsucht thanks for these contributions today excellent stuff 

And ironic is the word ! Fitness industry player not engaging mental health and diversity culture ... Ironic or cliché 

@Former-Member you mentioned marketing to expose mental health issues and normalise ... I think it's a great idea and if HR are on board it works I belieby

At my workplace there are regular initiatives regarding mental health, inclusion and diversity. We have speakers and I have run mental health training (long over due). I think all this helps, but you hVe to keep e momentum going

also ... There are some industries in which this simply wouldn't work would it? ... Real status oriented ones like Legal profession (ironic!) and irony of ironies medical professions ... Stigma galore! 

Yet really there's no other way ... Informative, education based materials are the only way to share information in the workplace.

I knew of a lawyer who wanted to leave the legal profession to pursue the wellness industry as she found it was her passion (and she had anxiety) but refused to leave due to the flack 'wellness' initiatives would cop from her colleagues ... She didn't like the stigma surrounding being in the 'wellness' industry ... Talk about irony.

@Sehnsucht I believe your inclusion statement needs to include both mental health and also legal perspectives. There must be standard government documents that inform about this ...

[Renstar]

@Sehnsucht I found this resource online ...

Home » Resource Centre » HR Toolkit » Diversity at Work » Creating an inclusive and supportive work environment

Diversity at Work

Creating an inclusive and supportive work environment
Once an organization has successfully modified their recruitment and hiring practices to reach a more diverse audience, the next step is to successfully engage and support them as employees.

Visit the following HR Toolkit sections for information on HR practices that support an organization’s ability to engage and retain diverse teams. These practices are not exclusive to diversity and inclusion efforts but are considered particularly important to the successful engagement and retention of diverse talent.

Orientation
Employee engagement and retention
Performance management
Flexible work arrangements
Interpersonal communication
Learning & development

The following are additional considerations to ensure that organizations create, support and nurture diversity:

The workplace culture
Diversity training
Mentoring

Its on http://hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/diversity-supportive-environment.cfm

[Renstar]

 I have been thinking about another way to approach stigma in the workplace and that is via mentoring ...

 In this way there could be an inclusion coordinator (let me dream here ) and this coordinator's job would be to deliver diversity and inclusion information to the company as well as provide mentoring to  anybody not just a person with mental illness but anybody within the company who felt they needed to either understand a mental health situation better or cope with their own diversity issue.

Would extend to all types of diversities... and is used mainly in cultural diversity but could be extended to mental health 

any takers??

I noticed this on the HR resource website as well ... (About cultural diversity but still ...)

Mentoring
Mentoring can be an important way to integrate, develop and retain employees. Mentoring involves the pairing of a more skilled or experienced employee with a new employee to encourage dialogue and information sharing. Such programs can help all new employees but may be particularly valuable to internationally trained workers for cultural acclimatization – understanding workplace norms, expectations and values.

Please visit the Learning & Development section of the HR Toolkit for more information.

Mentors also benefit from these relationships. In addition to the intrinsic satisfaction gained from making a positive and long-lasting impact in another person’s life, mentors benefit by developing:

An ability to impart skills and knowledge, as well as to enhance analytical and interpersonal skills
A greater understanding of issues and problems from another person’s perspective
An appreciation of cultural differences, personal and professional values, and how these affect the workplace

[Former-Member]

That sounds like an amazing job role @Renstar. I really like this idea. How smart & progressive is that! I've really enjoyed reading this thread. There is intelligence in the world! 👍👏@renstar, @senhsucht