Mental health problems are widespread in the workplace and cost employers and the economy dearly, says a new report.
One-quarter of all Irish adults are likely to experience mental ill-health at some point in their lives. Their sick leave, reduced work capacity and other costs add up to about €20 billion each year across Europe, or 4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), according to the National Economic and Social Forum.
The forum, a social partnership group that advises the Government on policy, says that there is still considerable stigma and prejudice in Ireland about people with mental illness.
But employers have been urged not to shun staff with mental health difficulties. Better policies can drastically reduce the amount of sick leave taken, the report says, and work is the best route to recovery.
The forum has set out the steps that Government and employers should take to try and reduce the cost of mental ill-health.
Unfortunately, say the report's authors, the vast majority of people with long-term mental health problems leave the workforce. Just 5 per cent stay in their jobs, the report said.
"The longer someone is off work, the more likely they are to become socially excluded," according to the report.
It also includes a wide-ranging survey on mental health in the workplace, which found mental problems are surprisingly common.
At least 16 per cent of employees have suffered mental health difficulties over the past two years, and 60 per cent of employers say they have experienced the problem.
Most firms are poorly prepared to deal with mental difficulties. Some 74 per cent don't even have a written mental health policy, the forum's report states.
Employers worry about the impact of mental health on their business - increased absenteeism is the most likely problem that could arise, they told forum researchers.
About 54 per cent of employers said that organisations take a significant risk when employing people with mental health difficulties.
But staff are happy to work alongside people who had suffered mental ill-health. Some 76 per cent of those surveyed said they would feel comfortable working with someone they knew had a history of mental health difficulties.
The incidence of stress is widespread in the workplace, says the forum, and accounts for 30 per cent of absenteeism across Europe.
In Ireland, two-thirds of employees said they were satisfied with their work/life balance, although younger staff aged 25 to 34 were more likely to say they were unhappy with the amount of time they spend in the workplace.
Asked about workplace stress, 63 per cent said it interfered with their family life. Women were more likely to say that stress interfered "a lot" with their lives outside work.