Work and the Mental Health Crisis in Britain

Based on recent data gathered from employees and managers, Work and the Mental Health Crisis in Britain challenges the cultural maxim that work benefits people with mental health difficulties, and illustrates how particular cultures and perceptions can contribute to a crisis of mental well-being at work. Based on totally new data gathered from employees and managers in the UK Presents a challenge to much of the conventional wisdom surrounding work and mental health Questions the fundamental and largely accepted cultural maxim that work is unquestionably good for people with mental health difficulties Illustrates how particular cultures of work or perceptions of the experience of work contribute to a crisis of mental well-being at work Fills a need for an up-to-date, detailed work that explores the ways that mental health and work experiences are constructed, negotiated, constrained and at times, marginalised Written in a style that is detailed and informative for academics and professionals who work in the mental health sphere, but also accessible to interested lay readers

Based on recent data gathered from employees and managers, Workand the Mental Health Crisis in Britain challenges the culturalmaxim that work benefits people with mental health difficultiesand illustrates how particular cultures and perceptions cancontribute to a crisis of mental well-being at work.* Based on totally new data gathered from employees and managersin the UK* Presents a challenge to much of the conventional wisdomsurrounding work and mental health* Questions the fundamental and largely accepted cultural maximthat work is unquestionably good for people with mental healthdifficulties* Illustrates how particular cultures of work or perceptions ofthe experience of work contribute to a crisis of mental well-beingat work* Fills a need for an up-to-date, detailed work that explores theways that mental health and work experiences are constructednegotiated, constrained and at times, marginalised* Written in a style that is detailed and informative foracademics and professionals who work in the mental health spherebut also accessible to interested lay readers

About the Contributors ixAcknowledgements xiChapter 1 Introduction: Mental Health, EmotionalWell-Being and 21st Century Work 1Chapter 2 Getting Britain Back to Work: A Policy Perspective 11Chapter 3 Mental Health and Work-Experiences of WorkBen Fincham, Carl Walker with Holly Easlick 39Chapter 4 Techniques of Identity Governance and Resistance:Formulating the Neoliberal WorkerCarl Walker, Ben Fincham with Josh Cameron 67Chapter 5 Managing Mental Health in Organizations 97Chapter 6 Work/Life Balance and the IndividualizedResponsibility of the Neoliberal Worker 133Chapter 7 Concluding Thoughts: Neoliberalism and the Shrine of Work 147References 163Index 179