MHM Magazine

16 | MENTALHEALTHMATTERS | Issue 6 | 2021 MHM Professor Stoffel Grobler and law expert Willene Holness recently partnered with SADAG to discuss mental health in the workplace and the laws that govern it – something now, more than ever, both health professionals and their patients are struggling to deal with. It’s safe to say that Covid-19 has radically changed the way we interact with other people and go about daily life, and there is no place where this is more apparent than in the workplace. Between abandoning the office entirely for the better part of the past two years, and gradually moving into a hybrid working structure, the change has been challenging, strange and messy, whilst figuring out many things along the way. Considering the current situation, it’s almost a no-brainer that mental health in the workplace will have taken a knock, but many issues were there before Covid. Unfortunately, these are often unrecognised but are worth consideration, particularly for patients who may be in over their heads with seemingly no respite. DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE Professor Grobler highlights the issue at the heart of mental health in the workplace: “Many people find it difficult to disclose their mental health status to employers. This is a special kind of discrimination.” A workplace culture often leads people to fear being perceived negatively by colleagues and managers. Holness says that this type of discrimination plays a role even when people are applying for jobs with doubt over whether they should disclose their mental health status. She says the law protects the applicant against this through ‘reasonable accommodation’ - adjustments that should be made to accommodate people with disabilities, illnesses and other special circumstances. This should happen even in an interview. Even though the law covers this, the applicant may fear the interviewer may not follow the law, which is all too often the case. In cases where the condition is not self-evident, the employer needs to be made aware first. Both Professor Grobler and Ms Holness agree that a workplace’s culture is the primary determinant in whether people feel comfortable to disclose. If the organisation is not conducive to disclosure, the employee will generally not speak up. BENEFITS OF DISCLOSURE AT WORK Professor Grobler says that if the company is sensitive there may be By Professor Christoffel Grobler Psychiatrist And Willene Holness Lawyer & Senior Lecturer at School of Law, UKZN MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE