title: Employees with mental health problems: Survey of U.K. employers' knowledge, attitudes and workplace practices.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether employers who have experience of hiring people with mental health problems differ significantly from those without such experience in terms of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding mental health in the workplace, and the concerns which they report about employing people with mental health problems. We also examine whether non-workplace social contact is associated with the above variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  A telephone survey was conducted with a randomly selected sample of British employers. The sample included a similar number of human resource managers and managers/executive employees in other roles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  502 employers took part. Having employed someone with a mental health problem was associated with closer non-workplace social contact. Those with experience of employing applicants with mental health problems had significant differences in knowledge (regarding the law), and behaviour (having a policy on hiring applicants with disabilities) but not in attitudes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Non-workplace social contact may be useful to consider in understanding hiring practices. The nature of social contact at work and possible lack of impact of this contact on employer attitudes and concerns warrants further study. Greater support is needed for employers to understand the law regarding mental health problems in the workplace.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, United Kingdom. Elaine.brohan@iop.kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brohan
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: Kirsty
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Little
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thornicroft
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D010560:Personnel Selection; D006113:United Kingdom; D055815:Young Adult