See Me

See Me in Work is our offer of support to Scotland’s workplaces. With a range of FREE evidence-based approaches, tools and resources to help create mentally healthy workplaces free from stigma and discrimination in a way that works for you.

See Me is Scotland’s national programme to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination.

Tackling stigma in the workplace has been a core part of See Me’s work for over a decade because when workplaces get it right on mental health, it creates an atmosphere where people can flourish, help recruit and retain staff and improve the reputation of the organisation. However, when stigma and discrimination are present, it can damage employees’ confidence, limit their potential and prolong an illness. All of this harms the employer as well as the individual.

In 2022 we launched the findings of the Scottish Mental Illness Stigma Study, which explored the experiences of people living with long-term and/or complex mental illness in Scotland. We found that:

71% had experienced stigma and discrimination in employment in the past 12 months

And of those who said that stigma in work had the biggest impact on their lives:

57% felt they have been unfairly denied employment opportunities
77% said they have been treated unfairly in work
44% have left employment.

At See Me, we want to change this.

Support for employers:

See Me in Work supports workplaces to improve cultures, policies and practices related to mental health.

Through See Me in Work, employers can:
• Access advice, tools and support to improve the working lives of employees experiencing mental health problems;
• Encourage an equal and fair recruitment process for those seeking employment;
• Support people to stay at work, wherever possible, and ensure those returning to work following mental ill-health are fully supported back into the workplace.

Organisations and individuals can engage with See Me in Work in various ways, from making small changes to reviewing their whole approach to creating stigma-free, mentally healthy workplaces.

Support for other organisations:

See Me is keen to work in partnership with trade unions, regulators and support organisations across all industries and sectors, to understand the experiences and issues relating to employers and employees. See Me can help identify actions that can be taken forward collaboratively to ensure people’s experiences across their employment journey are free from mental health stigma and discrimination. Please get in touch with See Me if you’d like to discuss this further.