Attitudes have improved, but fear of mental health stigma at work still persists

Stuck in a toxic relationship, Amanda suffered a miscarriage while still reeling from the loss of someone dear to her during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 30-year-old, who declined to give her real name, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after suffering blow after blow to her personal life in 2022.

She was plagued by frequent, intense flashbacks and panic attacks.

Unable to function, Amanda was forced to take a six-month break from work in the finance sector.

But upon her return, her supervisor chastised her for not being resilient.

“She told me that she had gone through her own mental health struggles before, and she didn’t need professional help. The insinuation was that I was weak for needing help and being away for so long,” said Amanda.

Dismayed, she submitted feedback to the human resources (HR) department on what her supervisor had said.

Although she had opted not to lodge an official complaint out of fear of ruffling more feathers, the damage had already been done.

“Previously, she would be very active about my development but, after the incident, my manager didn’t help me the way she used to,” said Amanda.

While overt discrimination, such as firing or not hiring purely because people have a mental health condition, has become less common over the years, experiences like Amanda’s still remain, noted mental health patients and advocates.

Evolving attitudes

The Covid-19 pandemic has cast a spotlight on mental well-being in the workplace and the need for more support for workers.

In Singapore, the Government and employers have implemented various initiatives to raise awareness of mental health in the workplace.

For example, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), National Trades Union Congress and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) launched the Tripartite Advisory on Mental Health and Well-being at Workplaces in 2023, providing practical guidance for employers.

National well-being campaigns, mental health toolkits, and grants to support workplace well-being were also rolled out.

Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI) president D.N. Prasad said the institute has seen companies offering more wellness programmes and employee assistance services.

These have all made the workplace more friendly for those with mental health conditions.

According to the Fair Employment Practices Report 2023 by MOM, the proportion of job seekers who faced discrimination linked to mental health during their job search decreased from 5 per cent in 2022 to 2.9 per cent in 2023.

Discriminatory behaviour included instances where applicants were asked about their mental health history even though it was irrelevant to the job and derogatory remarks made about their mental health issues during interviews.

Cases of workplace discrimination related to mental health declined from 4.7 per cent in 2022 to 1.6 per cent in 2023. Instances of unfair treatment were found in areas like salary, workload distribution and bonuses.

Ms Porsche Poh, executive director of mental health charity Silver Ribbon, said that, before the pandemic, six out of 10 of the charity’s clients faced mental health discrimination at work.

That figure has dropped to three in 10 today.

In the past, some employers were uncomfortable with hiring individuals with mental health conditions because they were unsure what to do if an employee had a breakdown at work or threatened self-harm, said Ms Poh.

“But because of increased awareness, more employers are now open to the idea of hiring, promoting and retaining employees with mental health issues. They just need more guidance on how to handle such issues at work.”

The lingering stigma

While the progress so far has been encouraging, stigma against those with mental health conditions remains an issue.

Rachel (not her real name), a 32-year-old civil servant, recalled instances where her bosses in the HR department had made inaccurate or judgmental remarks about those with mental health struggles.

On one occasion, a superior remarked that she found it hard to believe an employee had mental health issues, as the person appeared to be logical.

“It shows me how much she doesn’t know about mental health, as there are many people with mental health conditions (who) can be very high functioning,” said Rachel.

Owing to her boss’ biases, Rachel is unwilling to disclose that she was diagnosed with psychosis in 2015, even when she struggles at work on some days. She fears she will face obstacles in her career growth.

Mr Theodoric Chew, co-founder of mental health solutions company Intellect, pointed out that stigma feeds into discrimination.

“In a scenario of a promotion, stigma would be having the assumption that an employee’s condition will affect their performance. Discrimination would be to actively overlook or deny a promotion purely based on the assumptions about their capabilities, rather than their actual performance,” he explained.

It is important to nip stigma in the bud.

SHRI’s Mr Prasad said: “Biases tend to stem from lack of awareness and education, rather than malice. The key to reducing it lies in fostering a culture where performance is assessed objectively, and support is offered based on individual needs, not assumptions.”

Impact of new landmark law

In January, Singapore passed the landmark Workplace Fairness Bill. It prohibits companies from making employment decisions – such as in hiring, firing and appraisals – based on five groups of characteristics, including age and sex.

Those diagnosed with mental health conditions are also among people who will be protected when the new law takes effect in a year or two.

While the new legislation aims to foster greater inclusivity and fairer treatment, its implementation poses challenges.

Companies and lawyers have pointed out the need for practical clarity on issues like differentiating genuine performance concerns from discrimination, and making reasonable accommodations for those with mental health conditions.

Ms Stefanie Yuen-Thio, joint managing partner at TSMP Law Corporation, said mental health is the most challenging of all the protected characteristics.

“Clearly, it’s not discrimination to not hire someone who is blind to be a pilot, but how do you assess the impact of a mental health condition which is unseen?” she added.

“It is even harder for an employer to make an assessment as to whether the performance of an employee would be significantly affected by such a condition.”

The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices and the Workplace Safety and Health Council gave an illustration of what would be considered discrimination.

In this scenario, a new hire’s colleagues have noticed that he seems particularly down, even though his work performance is unaffected.

When asked by his bosses, he admits to having depression, which is managed with psychiatric help. A week later, he is dismissed.

Ms Jenny Tsin, co-head of employment practice at WongPartnership, emphasised the importance of evidence in supporting a discrimination claim, such as in performance appraisals measuring if a person has met job expectations.

She added: “Evidence that the employer was aware of the diagnosis before the decision, along with conversations or documents proving the discriminatory conduct, is critical.”

Trust and open communication

Mr Prasad said that while the legislation will encourage individuals to speak up, real progress requires a workplace culture built on openness and accountability rather than fear.

To achieve this, workplaces need to exemplify objectivity and empathy.

Intellect’s Mr Chew said evaluation systems should be designed to consider individual needs while maintaining clear and equitable standards across peers.

For employees with disclosed mental health conditions, the adapted evaluation criteria should account for individual circumstances, with clear documentation of accommodations and performance expectations.

“When having a conversation with underperforming employees, managers should focus on behaviours rather than traits. Use specific examples of recent lapses and convey facts, instead of judgment,” said Mr Chew.

For example, saying “there have been three missed deadlines this month” sounds less jarring than “you have been sloppy lately”, he added.

Mr Prasad also suggested that discussions on performance should explore adjustments that may help staff succeed.

“If a situation demands it, also offer other avenues – sabbatical, a short break, reduced time, a rescoped role – to help support their journey,” he said.

Other accommodations could include flexible hours that enable people to attend therapy sessions, or quiet workspaces to allow better focus.

Mr Jerry Seah, senior director of the Centre for Workplace Development at SNEF, said that the federation has been working with tripartite partners to develop further guidance, like guidelines that offer practical recommendations.

It also organises mental health workshops and talks for smaller businesses with limited resources.

Beyond policies on paper

Lottery operator Singapore Pools started prioritising mental health by rolling out an employee assistance programme to support the mental health of its 1,000 employees in September 2022.

Still, the company’s senior director of people and culture Debbie Ng believes that the best mental wellness resource in the workplace is an understanding and supportive boss.

“Some companies have all these policies, and they put their values up on the wall. But it’s not reflected on the ground. We don’t want that. We want to actually know our people, and we do that by having conversations,” said Ms Ng.

She highlighted an example of how the company had supported a new hire who had anxiety issues. A key part of his job scope was to give presentations.

“In the initial part, there was a lot of hand-holding because we would actually work on a script with him for a presentation... But now, he’s been with us for more than two years and presents to senior management,” Ms Ng said.

At OCBC Bank, its MyWellness Champions Programme was launched in 2024, enlisting staff volunteers to promote well-being and connect colleagues with mental health resources.

Mr Edwin Lee, managing director of risk strategy for group risk at the bank, is among those who are keen to volunteer.

He wants to pay it forward, having benefited from the “substantial leeway” his boss afforded him when he was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2016, when mental health awareness was not prevalent in Singapore.

He developed the condition following the onset of an autoimmune disorder that also affected his capacity to cope in a fast-paced job.

Mr Lee became less productive and slower in identifying risk events – a key part of his role.

After explaining his condition to his manager, Mr Lee was allowed to take time off without a medical certificate if he felt that he could not cope that day. His workload was also adjusted, with his teammates filling in for him.

On top of that, his boss did not penalise him during his performance appraisal.

“If I were in the office and an anxiety attack hit me, my boss told me I’m free to run into his office and hide,” said Mr Lee.

With the support from his boss, Mr Lee recovered and returned to full productivity after 18 months.

“He took that leap of faith in me and had my back. This showed me that these are our company’s value systems and how we invest in our staff’s well-being,” he said.

Lee Li Ying is a correspondent on the health beat at The Straits Times. She has a keen interest in mental health, health technology, ageing and reproductive care.

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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