Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

To ask if you would employ somebody with a mental illness?

50 replies

MadMommaMemoo · 15/03/2011 17:05

if they fitted all the other criteria but said on the application form that they had a mental illness that was well controlled and never caused them to be violent would you still employ them?

OP posts:

Original poster

MadMommaMemoo · 15/03/2011 17:19

Lesley, can I come and work for you?

OP posts:

GypsyMoth · 15/03/2011 17:23

my ex husband was working on an armed forces base.....guarding the gate,with a fully loaded gun. he has anger issues and at that time depression,which was later properly diagnosed as a personality disorder.

his MH was deteriorating so i approached his boss to get him removed from armed duty....we were divorcing and i had to pass him 4 times a day...he had many issues and i just wasnt comfortable with the way he was deteriorating. he really hated me for 'dobbing him in'

an extreme example i realise.....

so i guess it all depends on the illness and the job.

Original poster

MadMommaMemoo · 15/03/2011 17:28

I don't imagine I'll be applying for the army any time soon Tiffany!

Fwiw, sounds like you did the right thing in that situation.

OP posts:

Macdog · 15/03/2011 17:29

Sorry if I sounded angry earlier, I thought you were asking as an Employer, not Employee

majordanjarvis · 15/03/2011 17:30

I think the concept of "equally qualified" candidates is useful for the purposes of demonstrating a point in a discussion such as this but, in reality, two candidates are very rarely similar enough for such issues to come into play.

That said, I think an earlier made a fair point that people are most likely to choose a candidate that is deemed "less risky". Whether this is morally right (or even legal!) is another question altogether, not least because it explains why some in small businesses think twice about employing a woman of child-bearing age for anything other than an easily-fillable role.

MintyMoo · 15/03/2011 17:31

I have a friend in recruitment and she's had clients who had specifically requested no candidates from certain countries (Ireland and India to be precise) so it wouldn't surprise me if they would be put off by health issues, be they physical or mental. But some people are just twats generally.

I'm disabled and trying to find work, I have had to reveal one disability at interview as it explains why I have been unable to work for a while but not the other. I keep getting excellent feedback from interviews but out of 10 firms only 2 have seen me again, despite the other 8 giving excellent feedback and saying I was brilliant. Their excuses range from 'but we filled the job' to 'she's not done X' (X being something I would expect an 11 year old to be capable of doing if taught) and 'we're worried she'll get bored and leave - someone with no experience will therefore be more reliable'. My gut instinct is that they're concerned about my illness but there's no way of knowing for sure unfortunately!

OP - I wouldn't worry about it too much, some firms are great at hiring a diverse workforce and you are under no obligation to disclose any health condition before you start work unless you need adaptions to the interview process. If I wasn't having to disclose one of mine I wouldn't disclose until I'd started - that way they can't not give you the job as a result.

Original poster

MadMommaMemoo · 15/03/2011 17:37

No probs Macdog (smile)

How bad would it be to lie about it?

OP posts:

ambarth · 15/03/2011 17:41

You don't have to disclose memoo, I wouldn't if I were you.

I would employ someone with mental illness myself though

Original poster

MadMommaMemoo · 15/03/2011 17:42

Thanks Ambarth

OP posts:

justpaddling · 15/03/2011 17:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GastonTheLadybird · 15/03/2011 17:48

I think it is absolutely fine not to mention it unless it is likely to impact your job i.e. You want to drive a tractor and sometimes take meds that could make you drowsy etc.

Personally I wouldn't have a problem with it but I don't think Mumsnet is terribly representative of the general population unfortunately.

reallytired · 15/03/2011 17:53

yes, and in the organisation I work there are people with a history of mental illness at all levels in an organisation.

I have never been asked about my mental health by a prospective employer until I was actually offered the job.

waitwhat · 15/03/2011 17:55

When i applied from my job i was recovering from a major breakdown that hospitalised me for 2 months.I didn't say anything up until they offered me the job. I was very lucky that He was very understanding. HE initially put me on a 4 month contract to make sure i could cope with it as its a stressful post.

I wouldn't mention it if you don't want to. I was lucky my boss had a good understanding of mental illnesses. If i went up for another job i don't think i would tell.

DilysPrice · 15/03/2011 17:56

Depends on the job. I had an nanny on my shortlist with a history of clinical depression and I can't deny it went against her (although she was inferior in other ways to the nanny I eventually hired).
But for the office job I've just hired for I'd certainly have considered a candidate with a history of mental health problems, all things considered.

HappyMummyOfOne · 15/03/2011 17:57

I think most employers look at past sickness absence and judge on it, they have to think about costs of sick pay or temp cover etc. If you haven't taken any time off then I dont see why it should make a difference.

Macdog · 15/03/2011 17:57

Don't lie about it. If it comes out it will be worse than being upfront about it

Tee2072 · 15/03/2011 17:58

Since I myself have more than one mental illness and run my own business, currently by myself, I would not hesitate to hire someone who was mentally ill if they were the most qualified for the job.

CharlieCoCo · 15/03/2011 18:01

as a nanny i get asked this by some agencies if i have ever seen a therapist or have ever had a mental ilness etc.

pinkfluffyprincess · 15/03/2011 18:03

Tread carefully. I've had depression and didn't disclose to my employer even on the occupational health form. I had to speak to my GP first though, as there's the risk they will ask for medical records.

Original poster

MadMommaMemoo · 15/03/2011 18:04

That's interesting dily, do you think someone with a MI is a danger to your children? Honest question, not trying to be rude.

OP posts:

DilysPrice · 15/03/2011 18:17

Danger, probably not, but perhaps a less than optimal carer, all things considered. If we all think about our wish list for the dream nanny, then outgoing, positive "up" personality traits often appears on that list - it's an interesting line to draw where "desirable" characteristics like that spill over into discrimination. (as with the office which desires people to fit in socially with the existing team, which can lead to discrimination on a number of fronts).

myredcardigan · 15/03/2011 18:38

I think, if I'm honest, employing a nanny would be the one area where it would make me anxious. But that's mainly because when considering care for my children it's a less than rational decision.

I would worry about the person being distracted and not being prone to a 'sunny' nature. Of course, they may well be the best person for the job and i'd be shooting myself in the foot but childcare is an emotional issue.

I've sat in on the interview panel at school when we interviewed for a job-share for me. It wouldn't have bothered me then as long as there wasn't a big issue with absence in the previous job. It wouldn't bother me if it was someone teaching my child either.

diabolo · 15/03/2011 18:40

OP - I occasionally suffer from panic disorder (which is a mental illness). I'm not ashamed of it and it really has no relevance to my ability to do my job.

If I were a psychopath then I'd think twice about hiring me!

lilyberry · 15/03/2011 18:41

Dilys - Oddly, I am a very 'up' person; I just have depression too.

And for the OP: I would never mention my past mental health issues to a future employer. I have had such sh*t from my current place about "unnecessary days off", including the sickday I took when a close friend of mine committed suicide at the age of twenty. They said it was an "unreasonable request" to have a day off and that I would be under investigation if I didn't show up. Terrified, I of course arrived promptly at work the next morning. Hadn't taken my tablets, in shock and grieving, forgot to eat anything: had a total emotional breakdown at work and was sent home at lunchtime anyway.

I will never inform a prospective employer about health again. Legally they can't discriminate because of health, but they do anyway and disguise it in other ways. My good friend, who also has MH issues, worked with me for three months before quitting. She couldn't stand it.

PepsiPopcorn · 15/03/2011 18:41

Yes

Flip

1 2