Third of eating disorder sufferers discriminated against at work
One in three eating disorder sufferers experience stigma or discrimination in the workplace according to a survey by eating disorder charity, Beat.
650 people were surveyed, it found:
- 40% said their employers’ impact on their recovery was ‘unhelpful’ - Two thirds of people were unable to access support for their eating disorder at work - 38% told us they used annual leave to attend medical appointments for their eating disorder - More than four out of five said they didn’t think or didn’t know whether their employers and colleagues were ‘informed’ about eating disorders.
Andrew Radford, Chief Executive of Beat said
“Employers can play an important role in supporting recovery. The stigma and misunderstanding experienced by so many in the workplace must be replaced with support and compassion championed by a formal mechanism of support.”
“Our campaign has been driven not only by calls to our Helpline from concerned employers and worried colleagues but the knowledge that eating disorders represent a cost of £8billion in terms of lost income to the economy every year.”
“The responsibility for early identification and treatment of these serious mental illnesses should not lie with the health service alone. The whole of society must act if we are to improve the lives of everybody affected by an eating disorder.”
Ann Dymyd, from NIWE Eating Distress Service, based in Newcastle, said:
“If the employer has a very positive attitude then it’s much easier to come forward. Clearly if there are prejudicial kinds of attitudes within the culture, it would be impossible for people to make themselves that vulnerable and expose themselves.”
Beat and enei (Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion) have produced a best practice guide for employers and literature available during Eating Disorders Awareness Week (22-28 February 2016).