Post-natal depression is something that affects many parents across the U.K. It affects around 1 in 10 women and can affect partners/fathers too. The main symptoms of post-natal depression include:
- Persistent sadness and low mood
- Fatigue and lack of energy
- Brain fog
- Changes in sleep
- Social withdrawal
- Feeling no pleasure in your usual activities
- Finding it difficult to bond with your baby
- Having more severe thoughts of hurting yourself and/or your baby
Post-natal depression can be frightening for the person involved. If left untreated, it is something that can cause a lot of difficulties in a person’s life for a long period of time. It is a condition that requires medical, mental health, and community support for it to improve.
The condition can affect a person’s ability to work and their desire to return to work after having a new baby. As such, it is an important topic for us to discuss in terms of work-based support. On this page of our Disability Advice Hub, we are going to explore how people with post-natal depression can get the support they need and deserve at work and from their employers.
How to Get Support with Post-Natal Depression at Work
It is important to know how much maternity/paternity/shared parental leave you are entitled to before you return to work. Taking enough time off after having a baby can help you manage the symptoms of “baby blues” and any subsequent post-natal depression. To check out what you are entitled to, you can read our blog on parental leave in the U.K.
If you do have to return to work while experiencing symptoms of post-natal depression, you should disclose this to your employer if you feel comfortable. You aren’t legally entitled to do so, but disclosing your condition to your employer can help them support you in the right way going forward. Once your employer knows about your post-natal depression, they can be much more supportive and can understand why you need certain things at work.
You might need:
- Some time off
- Flexibility to attend doctor’s appointments/counselling
- Extended deadlines
- Temporarily reduced work responsibilities
Make sure that you get all the external support that you need too. See your local GP, attend support groups, and talk to your friends and family about how you are feeling. If you are feeling severely low and having scary thoughts, contact your local emergency services or call Samaritans on 116 123. It is key to reach out for help when you need it.
If your current job or workplace is causing increased stress and not supporting you in the way that you need, you might be considering a change of jobs or careers. Working with the right employer can make a big difference to your recovery from post-natal depression. You can find accessible jobs on our disability-friendly job board right here at Careers with Disabilities. These jobs will be the healthiest and safest options for you while you work on feeling better.
When you need support, make sure you take it.
What Employers Can Do to Help
Post-natal depression is a complex topic. As an employer, it is something you might come across quite frequently, and so it is important to know what to do if your employee is facing (or you think they are facing) symptoms of post-natal depression. The best ways in which you can help include the following strategies:
- Create a positive, inclusive working environment in which your employees feel that they can talk to you about their health and well-being. This will increase comfort around disclosures. When your employees disclose what they are going through, then you can support them in the best way possible.
- Learn as much as you can about post-natal depression so you can listen to and understand your employees fully. Awareness is key to becoming a disability-friendly employer. You can learn a lot about other disabilities, conditions, and illnesses through our Disability Advice Hub.
- Signpost your employees to external sources of support and make sure they are getting medical help.
- Allow flexibility and make necessary adjustments during this difficult time for your employee. Give them what you can to help their recovery continue in the right direction.
- Check out the Disability-Confident government scheme and Access to Work for help with making adjustments and becoming disability-friendly.
- Engage with our services at Careers with Disabilities to become as inclusive and accessible as possible. Both to the employees you already have and those still to be recruited.
The best thing you can do as an employer in our modern age is committing yourself to growth and change. Showing your staff and the general public that you are committing to treating employees fairly is the best way forward. You can do that by becoming Disability-Confident and engaging with services that will help you increase your inclusivity as an employer.
To find out more, check out the services we offer employers and get in touch if you have any further questions.
Everything gets better when we work together.
