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An employee's decision to disclose a mental health condition is often a "spur-of-the-moment" one, and four structural elements of workplace environments either facilitate or constrain disclosures, new research has found.

Contrary to dominant thinking, which suggests mental health disclosure is a premeditated choice people come to after a "costs-benefit analysis", the study found the interplay of environmental factors leads to spontaneous "disclosure opportunities".

The research team, from two Canadian Universities and led by Professor Jane O'Reilly, propose that their "room to share" model more appropriately captures the nuanced nature behind why and how employees choose to disclose their conditions.

It also offers HR practitioners practical insights into how work environments can be shaped to invite disclosure, the academics say...