How does our mental health affect job-seeking? Learn more about your rights and help available across GM

By definition, Mental Health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being and affects how we think, feel and act. If you’re not already doing so, your mental health should be prioritised just as much as physical health is and sometimes there are activities you can complete that exercise both your body and your mind! If you’re concerned about whether your mental health affect job-seeking activities and outcomes, here’s what you need to know.

According to the NHS, 22% of 17-24 year olds in the UK suffer with mental health issues and when considering the 792 million people worldwide who are affected by mental health worldwide, it emphasises the need of targeted well-being programmes and effective support systems.

Fortunately for Greater Manchester residents, there is an abundance of support services available, specifically created to accommodate the many mental health conditions that effect adults and young people in the region. This could be particularly important for those who are actively seeking employment.

Why is it so important? 

As mental health impacts the way we think, feel and act, poor negative health can have a drastic effect on your personal outlook on life. Not only can it affect your personal life, but dealing with mental health can impact your professional career as well.

Often mental health conditions can interfere with your confidence and belief in yourself, making the thought of applying for jobs and attending interviews daunting. It can lead you to feel demotivated from taking actions, apathetic about the prospect of a successful outcome, low or anxious from a lack of feedback or even to make false presumptions about why you have been unsuccessful.

Finding work – from being proactive in your job search to effective at interviews – can be heavily impacted by a positive mindset, confidence and resilience, so it’s important to recognise when you’re in this position and to seek help and guidance from either parents, family, friends or professional services.

Your rights when applying for jobs

Remember that your mental health condition, symptoms or formal diagnosis should not hold you back from applying to matching vacancies.

The Equality Act (2010) clearly states ‘Firms are obliged to provide additional support to ensure that customers with mental health problems and other disabilities are not disadvantaged by their condition.’

This legislation ensures that your mental health condition cannot impact your treatment during an organisation’s hiring process (including interviews) or treatment of you within the workforce. Another point worth noting is that if you’re considered disabled under the Equality Act, you can ask employers to implement reasonable adjustments and it is their duty to accommodate to them.

To read the Equality Act click here

What support is available?

Greater Manchester NHS Integrated Care team have created a list of different support available for residents in the GM area to access.

Getting help

Living Life to the Full (16+) Welcome to LLTTF Greater Manchester – LLTTF Greater Manchester (llttf4.com) Online support for anxiety and / or depression. Participant works independently

SilverCloud: unsupported offer (16+) SilverCloud. Making Space For Healthy Minds (silvercloudhealth.com) Online support for anxiety and / or depression. Participant works independently

SilverCloud– support for Parents 2 programme; ‘Supporting an anxious child (4-11)’ and ‘Supporting an anxious teen (12+)’. https://gm.silvercloudhealth.com/signup/

Kooth (10-25) Home – Kooth Resources, online community, message facility & online chat with the Kooth team

Qwell (26+) Home – Qwell Self-directed, the Qwell Community & one off / intermittent sessions with Qwell practitioner

Kooth – support for Parents http://www.kooth.com/ Programs for supporting an anxious child (4 – 11) or an anxious teen (12+)

Getting more help

Living Life to the Full (16+) Welcome to LLTTF Greater Manchester – LLTTF Greater Manchester (llttf4.com) Online support for anxiety and / or depression – participant works independently

SilverCloud: supported offer

Online support for anxiety and / or depression – delivered by IAPT therapist 16+ SilverCloud. Making Space For Healthy Minds (silvercloudhealth.com)
Bespoke programme for CYP – online support for anxiety and / or depression – delivered by IAPT therapist (ages 10 to 19)

Kooth (10 -25) Home – Kooth Resources, online community, message facility & online chat with the Kooth team

Qwell (26+) Home – Qwell Scheduled sessions with a consistent Qwell practitioner

Getting risk support

Qwell (26+) www.qwell.io/

Ongoing sessions

Kooth (10-25) www.kooth.com/ Ongoing sessions

For both these are available where an individual’s circumstances are particularly complex