Attitudes of employers toward people with mental illness: Conditions and problems of the employment policy for the disabled in Taiwan

Background:

Accumulated literatures have showed that decent work is one of the best means to help people with mental illness to recover and return back to a normal life. Therefore, assistance for returning to work is an essential part of rehabilitation programs. Employers' attitudes toward people with mental illness are important because they hold the final decision power for employment. This study aimed to explore employers' attitudes toward people with mental illness, and to understand their attitudes and concerns on the employment policy for the disabled in Taiwan.

Method:

Semi-structured interviews with 13 employers were conducted. Responses were audio taped, transcribed, and coded. All the data was synthesized and interpreted.

Result:

Despite all employers agreed that people with mental illness have the right to work as normal people do, however, more than half of employers were not willing to hire them because of the concerns of their symptoms and work competencies. Employers were also concerned about the acceptance of their co-workers and customers. We found that most employers were not aware of the employment policy and for some who were aware, its economic incentives seemed weak. Furthermore, most employers had insufficient knowledge regarding mental illness.

Conclusion:

To increase employers' willingness in hiring people with mental illness, the government should strengthen the support system for both the employers and the employees. In addition, efforts should be made to increase the social awareness of the employment policy, and to enhance the knowledge and the acceptance with regard to mental illness.