TWO in five Scottish workers say they would invent a fictional physical health problem if they needed to ask employers for time off work to deal with a mental health crisis.

In a survey, carried out by the Mental Health Foundation in Scotland (MHFS) 42% of Scottish employees said they would make up an excuse such as a stomach ache or back problems to explain their absence, due to the stigma attached to mental health.

One in five workers (19%) said they have seen a co-worker discriminated against over a mental health issue.

Meanwhile, in a separate poll of 1000 UK managers, almost a quarter said they did not have an established policy for supporting staff with mental health concerns. Around two thirds of managers said they believed their companies took physical injuries or illnesses more seriously than mental health complaints.

I felt like I couldn't talk about depression - but it's the first step to healing

The findings have led to calls for employers to do more to ensure line managers know what to do if an employee has mental health problems, alongside better workplace training in stress management. MHFS also called on the Scottish Government to flesh out a commitment to improving workplace health in its national mental health strategy.

The report came as mental health minister Maureen Watt announced an additional £500,000 in mental health funding. The money will go to NHS 24 which has already had £1,125,000 allocated to improve the services it offers to people experiencing low mood, depression and anxiety.

The Scottish Government says the number of people contacting a dedicated NHS24 mental health line has more than doubled in ten years, rising from 38,000 in 2006 to 87,000 in 2016.

Ms Watt said: “Building on the plans laid out in our Mental Health Strategy, this funding package will help NHS24 to improve their mental health services, whether online or via telephone. This is a key part of our work to intervene early, which we know can help prevent problems from worsening.”

MHFS will publish a guide for employers at a fringe event at the SNP Conference in Glasgow today, [tues] including a check-list about how to transform workplaces into “mentally friendly” environments.

It will also highlight a Scottish Government pledge, as part of its new mental health strategy, which commits the Scottish Government to working with employers to support the mental wellbeing of their employees.

Lee Knifton, Head of MHFS said the survey’s findings were shocking: “Too many workplaces are still not safe environments for people to talk openly about a mental health problem,” he said.

“It speaks volumes about attitudes towards mental health if people would rather lie and tell their boss they have a back problem instead.

Too often line managers simply don’t know what to do or what support is available for someone with a mental health problem, he added.

“It’s in everyone’s interests to ensure we have a mentally thriving workforce, particularly employers – given that mental ill health costs them over £2 billion in Scotland every year.

“There is a clear commitment in the Scottish Government’s mental health strategy to improve workplace mental health and we hope that the guide we have published today will help to inform what action must now be taken.”

Calum Irving, Director of See Me, Scotland’s programme to end mental health discrimination, said: “Stigma in workplaces is a major issue and these figures show people do not feel safe or supported to speak about how they are feeling.

“You don’t have to be an expert to speak about mental health, if you see someone going through a tough time, just asking if they are okay can be a powerful thing.”

The Mental Health Foundation’s check-list for employers includes making training opportunities for line managers available covering stress management and ways to support staff with mental health problems.

It also calls for employers to make reasonable adjustments to help someone stay in work, regular staff mental health surveys to help improve workplace policies, and policies encouraging staff to blow the whistle on discrimination or harassment.

I felt like I couldn't talk about depression - but it's the first step to healing