The Spanish Mental Health Confederation has called for an end to job insecurity as it is a risk factor for psychological distress.
Job insecurity is a social determinant harmful to health
The Confederation has emphasized the need to move towards the disappearance of the stigma surrounding mental health
The Confederation Mental Health Spain has called end job insecurity for being a risk factor of psychological discomfort in working people, as evidenced by various studies and as highlighted by its president, Nel González Zapico, within the framework of World Mental Health Day, which is commemorated this Thursday under the motto ‘Work and mental health, a fundamental link ‘.
“Low wagestemporality, lack of conciliation, high rhythms or work overloadworkplace 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 of the Day World Mental Health 2024, organized by the Spanish Mental Health Confederation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 and the ONCE Foundation.
More than half of the jobs in Spain are precarious
The Report ‘Job insecurity and mental health’, prepared by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy in 2023, indicates that job insecurity is a harmful social determinant for 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 states 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 is “because it is necessary” and “increasingly”. “We live in societies guided by competitiveness system, where productivity is what prevails” and “if I don’t work, I don’t feel useful”, which results in low self-esteem, affects emotional stability and mental health, as detailed.
At the same time, the Confederation has emphasized the need to move towards disappearance of stigma that surrounds 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.
“Therefore, it is essential work on formulas that promote safe work environments“” various levels” and “not just of the people.
As explained, among the claims of the Confederation, highlights 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 to make the environments “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.
The ‘#Workandmentalhealth’ campaign, launched on networks by the Confederation, explains in a series of infographics the link between the two areas and the claims 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.
Also, ask for the compliance with job 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 is at least 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 “the rExclamation to companies is 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 it needs so that appropriate adaptations can be made.”
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, in the document, the claim of “strengthen prevention teams of psychosocial risks and raise awareness among public and private companies, since the casualties caused by this type of risk tend to increase and may compromise their viability”.
Furthermore, 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”.