Mitigating Risk and Maximizing Employee Potential: Managing Employee Performance and Mental Health Conditions in the Workplace

Abstract

Participation in the workforce is a critical success factor in the treatment of an individual with a mental health condition.1 2 However, unemployment rates and the likelihood of involuntary termination are much higher among people with a mental health history relative to the overall rates for the US working-age population. Exploring the roots of managers’ fears in managing employees who have a mental health condition or are suspected of having a mental health condition in the workplace provides a baseline for future research on how to establish the highest likelihood of success in the workplace for an individual with a mental health condition. Understanding the literature on stigma, disability, management in the workplace, and legal-related decisions and articles serves as a foundation for understanding the current state manager experience. An online survey was used to gain insight into the reasons managers express hesitance to address performance issues with employees having a known or perceived mental health history. Responses to the survey revealed that the employment laws intended to protect employees with disabilities may play an inadvertent role in preventing the performance success of employees having a mental health condition. The survey results highlight the critical nature of educational interventions and practical guidance for managers. This thesis explores a manager’s role as a factor unintentionally limiting employment success for employees with a mental health condition. 1 Shazana Shahwan et al., "Employer and Co-worker Perspectives on Hiring and Working with People with Mental Health Conditions," Community Mental Health Journal 58, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-021- 00934-2. 2 Henry G. Harder, Shannon L. Wagner, and Joshua A. Rash, Mental Illness in the Workplace: Psychological Disability Management (Burlington, VT: Gower Publishing Company, 2014), Kindle.