The Spanish Mental Health Confederation has called for an end to job insecurity as it is a risk factor for psychological distress in workers, as evidenced by various studies and as highlighted by its president, Nel González Zapico, within the framework of World Health Day. of Mental Health, which is commemorated this Thursday under the motto ‘Work and mental health, a fundamental link’.
«Low salaries, temporary work, lack of conciliation, high work rates or overload, workplace harassment, the wage gap or an absence of an effective gender perspective within organizations are some of the forms that job insecurity takes, which ends up undermining our mental health,” said González during his speech at the commemorative event for World Mental Health Day 2024, organized by the Spanish Mental Health Confederation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 and the ONCE Foundation.
Report ‘Job insecurity and mental health’
The Report ‘Job insecurity and mental health’, prepared by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy in 2023, indicates that job insecurity is a social determinant that is harmful to health, which can generate very diverse mental health problems such as, among others. , anxiety and depression, which “generate great psychological suffering and whose effects extend to all areas of life.”
This same document indicates that more than half of the jobs in Spain are precarious. Furthermore, the Active Population Survey in Spain shows that 47 percent of employed people report being exposed to risk factors for their mental health in their workplace.
According to the president of the Confederation, since this date began to be commemorated in 1994, this is the third time that the focus has been placed on the work environment, something that can be “repetitive”, but which is “because it is necessary” and “increasingly.” “We live in societies guided by the competitive system, where productivity is what prevails” and “if I don’t work, I don’t feel useful”, which has an impact on low self-esteem, affects emotional stability and mental health, according to has detailed.
Disappearance of stigma
At the same time, the Confederation has emphasized the need to move towards the disappearance of the stigma surrounding mental health. “The fear of labels, rejection or discrimination for having a mental health problem is present in many people in the work environment,” González explained.
In fact, a report carried out by Salud Mental España and Fundación Mutua Madrileña indicates that only 12.9 percent of people with a mental health diagnosis have shared it with their co-workers.
“For this reason, it is essential to work on formulas that promote safe, healthy and inclusive work environments, in which mental health is cared for and discussed without taboos or prejudices,” continued Nel González. In this regard, in statements to Europa Press, he stressed that mental health in the work environment depends on “several levels” and “not only on people.”
As explained, among the Confederation’s demands, it stands out that companies have legal means so that Human Resources departments can carry out an evaluation of psychosocial risks within the annual medical examination. Also, that they have help so that the environments are “sufficiently bearable and pleasant”, with adaptations and support for people with mental health problems. Along with this, he has urged the implementation of “social pedagogy” measures, such as the possibility of having adequate family conciliation.
Job insertion
The ‘#Trabajoysaludmental’ campaign, launched online by the Confederation, explains in a series of infographics the link between the two areas and the demands of the entity. In this way, it also points out the need for companies to have resources that facilitate the labor insertion of people with mental disorders, such as job training, job insertion in ordinary employment positions, the promotion of supported employment and Centers Employment Specials.
Likewise, it requests compliance with the employment reservation quotas for people with disabilities (currently 10 percent), both in the public Administration and in the private sector, and that the quota reserved for people with mental disorders be, at less, two percent. All these measures must be accompanied by peer support, which means that “if I can’t do the job right now, I have support from a person close to me until I can return,” González detailed.
González has insisted that “claims against companies are not free.” Companies have to have the financial means and legal support so that they can do it. And we, as people who want employment to be a right, have to demand the legal support that is needed so that appropriate adaptations can be made.
World Mental Health Day
These requests are also supported in the World Mental Health Day Manifesto, written by the Committee for Mental Health in First Person and the State Network of Women of Mental Health Spain, which was read during the event by Gonzalo Nielfa and Elisabet Lemos as representatives of both entities, respectively.
Thus, the document includes the demand to “strengthen psychosocial risk prevention teams and raise awareness among companies, public and private, since the casualties caused by this type of risk tend to increase and may compromise their viability.”
In addition, it demands “a work culture that promotes psychosocial factors that promote mental health. To do this, the employing entity must be aware of, and establish a plan of measures that addresses environmental circumstances, the organization of skills, and a policy that includes support systems, flexible work schedules, and other mechanisms that affect safety. psychosocial».