Why common job demands are challenging for individuals with mental illness: the interaction of personal vulnerability factors and ableist norms

Sophie Hennekam and Irena Descubes
Additional contact information
Sophie Hennekam: Audencia Business School
Irena Descubes: ESC [Rennes] - ESC Rennes School of Business

Post-Print from HAL

Abstract: Purpose Drawing on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, this study aims to examine which job demands individuals with diagnosed mental illness perceive to be most challenging as they navigate the workplace, why this is the case and which resources individuals tend to mobilize to meet these demands. Design/methodology/approach The authors draw on 257 qualitative surveys filled out by individuals with mental illness in various parts of the world. Findings The findings show that job demands that are common in today's workplace such as a high workload and a stressful environment are considered challenging by individuals with mental illness. Further, the authors show that this is the result of the ideal worker norm consisting of the need to be a steady performer that is confident, resilient and social with which the performer cannot comply on the one hand and the particularities of this population, such as performers' self-perceived low self-esteem, sensitivity to stress, fluctuating symptoms and difficulties with the social aspects of organizational life on the other hand. Originality/value The study points to the unique challenges of individuals with mental illness in the workplace and highlights the role human resource management (HRM) can play in providing support to allow this population to meet the demands of one's job more easily and thrive at work.

Date: 2023-07-14
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Published in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 2023, 43 (1), pp.72-92. ⟨10.1108/EDI-12-2022-0341⟩

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04414934

DOI: 10.1108/EDI-12-2022-0341

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Post-Print from HAL
Bibliographic data for series maintained by CCSD ().