I’ve published Working Assets: A Career Guide for Peers. My target market is individuals living with mental health issues who have the desire and ability to work at a job.
Those of us with bipolar or schizophrenia or other illnesses have unique needs. In my new book I devote a whole chapter to Managing Your Mental Health on the Job.
The fact is that those of us with emotional issues who are employed often “disclose” without being aware that we’ve done this.
The host of a podcast (a woman living with schizophrenia) revealed that she can appear “spaced out” and this can make others think she’s on street drugs.
The woman jokes to the person she’s with that most likely they’d like her “to share” (the drugs) yet she is straight not high.
The fact is an impression is formed of a person within 7 seconds (yes!).
It’s a dual-edged reality: we want coworkers to have empathy for us when we appear “a little off” on the job. But will saying you have schizophrenia thus momentarily draw a blank elicit a favorable response from a coworker?
My guess is that we’re still not “there” yet in society. As a high numbers of peers with mental illnesses are unemployed to begin with.
How can we get “there” to where talking about our experiences helps us perform better on the job?
In my view disclosing on the job can make it harder to do our jobs when we then need to spend time navigating the after-effect of how coworkers responded.
The bottom line is: employers are concerned with their bottom line and how doing our jobs helps them earn money or whatever they’re in business to do.
How can we start to have an easier time at work while also fulfilling the duty we have to satisfy our company’s mission? Will being open and honest make it easier for us to do our jobs?
In coming blog entries I will talk about this in more detail. I take guidance from the 2022 DEI business books I’m checking out of the library and reading.
WorkingAssets 