Facilitating the employment of people with mental health difficulties in Ireland

Abstract

The promotion of practices supporting positive mental health at work is increasingly important on employers’ agendas. However, within the HRM literature there is a relative dearth of research on how employers can facilitate reintegration into the workplace or first-time employment for employees with mental health issues. Publicly funded supports are emerging as a strategy that can provide targeted supports to both workers and employers. This paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of this approach by undertaking triadic research with employers, healthcare professionals, and workers using the service in the Irish context. We make recommendations regarding the enhancement of opportunities currently available to those with a mental health difficulty to return to and remain in employment. The paper contributes to our understanding of the nature of supports required to successfully facilitate employing or re-integrating those with a mental health disability or history of mental health problems into the workplace.

“These are people just like us who can work”: Overcoming clinical resistance and shifting views in the implementation of Individual Placement and Support (IPS)

“…These findings not only demonstrate an overwhelming sense of doubt among the MDT about clients’ capacity for work, but they are also not in keeping with the espoused Irish national recovery and rights-based policy that highlight the importance of social inclusion (Government of Ireland, 2006 , 2020 ; O’Feich et al, 2019 ). The fear that entering employment would negatively impact the person’s mental health and put their recovery at risk also bolster other research within Ireland in which Tighe & Murphy ( 2020 ) could not identify a single member of the MDT who believed that people with mental health difficulties should go directly into paid employment, instead preferring a step-wise entrance through work experience or further training. Such beliefs are in contradiction to the IPS ‘ready to work’ tenet that any client who has the willingness can and should be facilitated to engage with the IPS process (Becker et al, 2019 ).…”

“…In many ways, it would be fair to say that IPS requires a seismic shift across mental health and employment services, including changes in clinicians’ beliefs about clients and their capacity and capabilities (Boardman & Rinaldi, 2013 ). While the medical model and recovery ethos are not in complete opposition, as diagnosis and medication may be a part of some people’s recovery journey, a medical model approach has been identified internationally as a significant barrier to successful IPS implementation, making it critical to understand how clinicians who do have such a mind-set can be engaged with throughout the IPS program (Boardman et al, 2003 ; Boardman & Rinaldi, 2013 ; Bonfils, 2020 , 2021 ; Bonfils et al, 2017 ; Boyce et al, 2008 ; Craig et al, 2014 ; Knaeps et al, 2012 ; Marwaha et al, 2009 ; Menear et al, 2011 ; Modini et al, 2016 ; Moen et al, 2020 ; O’Brien et al, 2003 ; Rinaldi et al, 2008 , 2010 ; Shepherd et al, 2012 ; Tighe & Murphy, 2020 ; van Erp et al, 2007 ).…”

“…While IPS is identified as both the most researched and also most successful supported employment model for people with mental health difficulties (Tighe & Murphy, 2020 ), a number of barriers remain in place to its successful implementation at both the systemic and service delivery levels (Bond et al, 2020 ; Bonfils, 2020 ). At the systemic level, national policy and legislation relating to employment may not support IPS, while there may also be a lack of infrastructure available to support the conjoined ways of working across employment, health, and other social services required by the program (Bond & Drake, 2014 ; Bond et al, 2020 ; Bonfils, 2020 ; Lockett et al, 2018 ).…”