“I wouldn’t hire someone with a mental illness. They’re weird, and I’ve heard they can be slow and difficult to train.”
This prejudicial misunderstanding, still surprisingly prevalent among employers across our country, is robbing mentally ill individuals of their fairly deserved right for employment.
In doing so it ultimately affects each citizen in Canada by triggering an unstoppable chain reaction of adverse effects: tax hikes, increased health care costs, escalating crime rates and more widespread poverty, to name a few.
The effects of mental health unemployment are estimated to cost Canada’s economy a whopping $50 billion each year.
To clear any misunderstanding, the majority of mentally ill individuals seeking employment today are virtually identical to their “more composed” counterparts, save for a few particular innocuous quirks in behaviour — whether it be a propensity for anxiety-attacks, talking to oneself, facial tics, mental slowness or poverty of speech.
These quirks, however, rarely have any relevance to one’s ability to fulfill job requirements; they merely need to be understood and accommodated by an employer, in a similar manner as a physical disability would be accommodated.
And once they feel accepted and appreciated, employees with mental illnesses can and will shine in the workplace.
For instance, my employer — a major grocery chain — understands my propensity for social anxiety. Accordingly, by limiting my work schedule to five-hour shifts and scheduling each shift two hours before opening time, my supervisor has effectively accommodated my disability, enabling me to achieve maximum productivity for the benefit of the company.
To the credit of her astuteness, I’ve been praised as one of the most industrious and productive workers in a store that employs hundreds.
And my situation is by no means atypical. Countless other sufferers have achieved success in the workplace thanks to the opportunities provided by open-minded, kind-hearted employers.
As we progress towards deinstitutionalization, many employers will be confronted with the option of hiring an individual who may show signs of mental illness — signs that may range from the barely noticeable to the obvious. I urge such employers to concentrate on that person’s qualifications as a guide rather than suspiciously probing for a potential disability.
Once hired and accommodated, I believe any person with a mental illness will reach a symbiotic equilibrium where they can provide a maximum level of productivity for the business, the business in turn providing empowerment and autonomy for them.
Finally, I encourage customers and the general public to patronize true equal-opportunity businesses that have deliberately hired individuals with obvious mental impairments, and to show patience and open-mindedness to those employees themselves who are striving hard to fulfill their employment requirements.
With your kind-heartedness, we could vastly improve the quality of life for a tormented minority, consequently reaping the benefits of reduced unemployment and a stronger economy for Canada.
Remember: The world around you is like a mirror. Acts of kindness to others are always reflected back to the giver.
--Peter Toth is a resident of Port Coquitlam who has previously written for The Tri-City News on the topic of mental health.
