Working life

Working Life

Most of us spend a large part of our lives at work or engaged in other valued or meaningful activity. Being in employment, paid or voluntary, gives us a sense of self-worth, is an important source of social contact and can help protect us from mental illness.

Meanwhile, bad situations at work and unhealthy workplaces damage our wellbeing and can cause illness. Improving mental health and wellbeing in working life is a priority area for the National Programme.

Healthy Working Lives Strategy:

The National Programme helped to develop the Scottish Government's strategy on Healthy Working Lives.
Read the strategy online, or download

healthy-working-lives-strategy.pdf [1.38Mb]

Workplace and Working Life Resources:

Posters, postcards and action packs for mentally healthy workplaces.

For information visit our Workplace and Working Life Resources page.

Working Life Projects:

The Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives

The National Programme helps to support the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives. More...

Award for Mentally Healthy Workplaces

Scotland's Health at Work (SHAW) Awards Scheme encourages employers to create healthier workplaces – including for mental health. More...

Mental Health in the Workplace Training Programme (MHiW)

Training to help line managers and employers meet their obligations to the mental health of their workers, potential employees and to create mentally healthy workplaces. More...

Tackling the stigma of mental ill-health at work

Stigma:
'Stigma' literally means 'a sign of disgrace'. The stigma and prejudice that surrounds mental health problems create major barriers to recovery for people who are ill.
Stigma at work makes things worse for people experiencing problems, while fear of stigma and plain old discrimination deny Scotland many talented workers. Find out how you can help by visiting See me's Workplace pages at www.seemescotland.org/workplace

Action on workplace stress

Stress:
To have some pressure in our lives is normal and, indeed, unavoidable! Stress is the name given to what happens when pressure becomes excessive and exceeds the individual's ability to cope. Stress damages physical and mental health and can be a trigger for…
Stress at work is a major cause of mental health problems, staff sickness and retention difficulties. The Work Positive programme helps employers prioritise workplace stress. Visit the Work Positive website at www.hebs.com/workpositive

Sucide Prevention Skills Training:

Suicide prevention is everyone's business. Employers and workplace colleagues can help to raise awareness and to prevent suicide. Choose Life will be working closely with Scottish businesses to do this during 2006. Find out more about opportunities for training by visiting our Suicide Prevention and Awareness Training page.

News and Events:

DWP’s Personal Capability Assessment And Mental Health

On 10 October 2006 the UK Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform, Jim Murphy announced the publication of the Department of Work and Pension’s Personal Capability Assessment (PCA) review.

Forty percent of today’s incapacity benefits claimants have a mental health condition and in order to provide the necessary support there will be changes to the PCA which include re-focusing its approach to mental health.

The DWP is to accept a series of recommendations in the report that include giving mental health the same importance as physical disabilities and therefore ensure it was better able to assess an individual’s mental health condition.

The report recommends expanding mental health assessment so it is better able to assess people with learning disabilities, autism and their ability to communicate and form relations amongst others.

The PCA will include a new assessment, looking at what an individual can do and what interventions would help to break down barriers preventing them from working. It will reflect the changing expectations about what work people can do with a relatively minor level of disability.

Ultimately the review will look at the feasibility of moving to a single mental and physical assessment.

For more information and a copy of the review visit the website of theDepartment for Work and Pensions: www.dwp.gov.uk

Latest National Programme News and Events