Career Chat // Benefits and challenges of work // Friday, 27 May

[Renstar]

@Former-Member you certainly have legal rights, discrimination due to your mental health issues is not allowed under any circumstance.

My issue is always that employers will 'manage staff' out when there is an issue ... that's the ones who are not supportive.

I believe the answer is to find companies who value 'lived experience' and or retry a DES or JSA ...

You are so right, work is absolutely a must for mental health and when you're out of work research shows your depression may increase so working is fundamental.

[Silenus]

Hi @Renstar, @NikNik @Former-Member @Former-Member...

Important topic this one. It affects most of our lives in some way, usually significantly.

I've got a 20 year work history as an electrical engineer and technical writer. I have bipolar, which was only diagnosed 3 or 4 years ago (my how time flies).

I look back through my patchy attendance record during those 20 years, and it's not pretty. Back when I was ignorant of my mental health issues, I'd fall into some pretty bad depressions for lengthy periods. I estimate my lost earnings due to my mental health issues to be over half a million dollars...

It's a biggie. It's such a challenge to deal with being seen as unreliable. Once you "burn all your bridges" in a particular industry, you're just about screwed. Pretty well unemployable for the duration...

I've been off work for 2 years, travelling around Oz in a motorhome. The reason for the trip was because it was exceedingly difficult for me to find a job, and my lovely partner was under-employed. We thought we'd wait for the economy to get a little better, and had always wanted to do a trip like this.

Now, the wheels have stopped rolling, and it's time to get back into the employment market. And the house market (eeeeep!!!)

My confidence is low. I am tired of the impersonal nature of job applications these days. I don't have the gift of the gab (as far as marketing goes), and I hate being a salesman (especially of my own services), so I am no good at getting work for my consulting business that I own.

I dislike the way most job applications are at several arms' lengths these days - impersonal email, send us your CV and cover letter. No phone numbers, a lot of the time. You fire off an email, and you never get a reply. You don't know if you have problems with your CV or cover letter, because you never get any feedback. Sometimes, you get an automated rejection email, mostly not...

I want to work. I see it as an important part of the balance in my life. But I don't see a flexible employment market. Rare indeed is the job that allows us to adjust to the ebbs and flows of our mental health issues...

[Renstar]

Chronic illness could be an option  ... it is an illness and certainly chronic. It requires medication which you take everyday and doesn't stop you from performing your tasks at work.

Honesty is the best policy and I don't believe this is a dishonest answer. My opinion.

What would I give to live in a world in which we viewed mental illness as a 'health injury' for which you could just 'take time off' without recrimination! 

[Silenus]

My experience of DES is remarkably similar @Former-Member. They were all touchy feely and lovey dovey and gently does it, but at the end of the day I was still unemployed, despite all the assurances and pats on the back for being "the best on their books"...

[Former-Member]

My des gave me a computer and told me to apply for jobs. That's it. No help, no advise. When I worked as a contract manager in DES for the government they acted very differently I can tell you!

[Renstar]

Thanks @Silenus for joining the conversation ... excellent 

I am saddened that both yours and @Former-Member's experiences have been similar, again as with any relationship in life finding the 'right one' is important. I must say that I heard a recent DES Employment Consultant say that often the Stream 4 (highly disadvanted) are often the easiest to place ...

There's something in that I'm sure because you both sound highly capable and obviously experienced with conditions you can manage ... but which have been the cause of issues in the past.

My advice is to continue to approach the DES and JSA sector, new legislation is coming into place commencing July that offers clients many more rights and DES's many more responsibliities.

I would like to believe the tide will turn.

In the meantime ...

Some maybe obvious stuff @Silenus , have a professional write your resume, contact the companies who rejected you, instead of waiting for jobs seek them out at places where you would love to work, refocus your career to use your 'lived experience' organisations such as SANE and MIND and others value this and reward you with great jobs (not engineering ones though I suspect).

Ensure the gaps in your resume are covered ... interstate travel is 'experience' in itself.

Volunteering should never be under estimated, volunteering whilst you get back on your feet is a great way to 'explore your options' whilst you re-assess your work priorities.

I may be suggesting things you have already tried but I hope there's something new in there for you.

Please stay and continue to contribute @Silenus would really value more input!

[Former-Member]

If a workplace is discriminatory, which body do I take it to? How do I stand up for my rights?
I think I might try a new DES, ostara were very nice when i worked in government!

[Renstar]

As with everything in life, when you're unhappy with the service - tell them!!

I hope you did @Former-Member I hope you let them know how poor their service was!

Have your resume created profesionally and make sure when you're applying to work that you also have a stable of support outside of work ... 

Having recently experienced a family loss I am still in the grieving stages and find some of my counselling work very difficult! I have a toolkit of things I do to help me ... make sure you have one too

[Renstar]

Ostara are indeed great (my opinon) tell them Renstar sent you!! 

Let's look at antidiscrimination in more detail ... in my next post

[Renstar]

Hi @Former-Member regarding discrimination, I think you need to begin by checking out this link, it has Mental Illness and Employment: Your Rights:

http://www2.nami.org/factsheets/supportedemployment_yourrightsfs.pdf

Next if you believe you have a case you should get some free advice, check out online for pro-bono anti-discrimination lawyers. As this is not my field of expertise, begin to ask others in your network (away from work).

Then, be prepared ...  It's easier if you have an advocate organisation behind you, find one by contacting organisations who support people who have experienced mental health issues and been discriminated against.