From stress to resistance: Challenging the capitalist underpinnings of mental unhealth in work and organizations

Abstract

The worldwide spread of work-related mental unhealth suggests that this is a major problem affecting organizations and employees on a global scale. In this paper, we therefore provide a thematic review of the literatures that address this issue in management and organization studies (MOS) and related fields. While these literatures examine how employee mental health is affected by organizational and occupational structures and managed by organizations and employees, they have paid relatively little attention to the capitalist labour relations which underpin the unhealthy conditions of contemporary working life. They have paid even less attention to how these conditions may be resisted. To help future scholarship in MOS challenge this state of affairs, we draw on some of the most basic but central notions of exploitation, alienation and resistance in classic and current critiques of capitalism, optimistic that this may help strengthen the field's capacity to confront mental unhealth in settings of work and organization.

Risking one’s life to save one’s livelihood: Precarious work, presenteeism, and worry about disease exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“…Although several studies have examined the relationship between objective job features associated with precarity (e.g., contract type) and occupational exposures and hazards, this research has not yet incorporated psychological experiences of precariousness, which can help to highlight how psychosocial working conditions can serve to threaten health. Considered together, our findings help to address Thanem and Elraz’s (2022, p. 577) concern that researchers have “paid relatively little attention to the capitalist labour relations which underpin the unhealthy conditions of contemporary working life” (see also Bapuji et al, 2020, p. 577). Moreover, they paint a grim picture of precarity during the COVID-19 crisis, suggesting that workers with greater PWE are more likely to (a) experience greater worry about the health risks they face on the job and (b) engage in presenteeism behaviors that can pose health risks to others.…”

Using review articles to address societal grand challenges

“…• Framing circular economy (Patala et al, 2023) • Mental unhealth in work and organizations (Thanem & Elraz (2022) • Female entrepreneurship (Dean et al, 2019) • Epistemic oppression of feminist research in mainstream MOS journals (Bell et al, 2020) Advancing methodological knowledge 1. Scrutinizing trustworthiness and generalizability of existing knowledge (Bell et al, 2020) Advancing practical knowledge 1.…”

Productivity in the Virtual Office: Unpacking the Role of Digital Tools and Work-Life Harmony

“…In many instances, employees may find themselves ill-equipped or inadequately trained to harness these novel digital tools, thereby contributing to their reluctance to adapt (Lim, 2023). The prospect of change, especially when employees are already grappling with substantial workloads and other responsibilities, can be daunting and lead to resistance (Thanem & Elraz, 2022). Suspicion may also arise regarding the motives behind the introduction of new technology, with some employees feeling compelled to embrace it without a clear rationale or proper guidance.…”