A latest study shows that a job that provides low control, high demands, complexity and the perception of unfair pay may lead to worse mental health than being unemployed. The study appeared in the journal Occupational Environmental Medicine.
Until now paid work that involves a defined role, structured time and purpose, has been thought to be beneficial for mental health. Peter Butterworth, of Australian National University in Canberra says that this study refutes the idea adding that moving from unemployment to a job of low quality could be detrimental. The number of unfavorable factors in working conditions was directly linked to the mental health of the study’s participants, the researchers said.
The team used data gathered over seven years from 7,155 households in an annual Australian survey dubbed HILDA. The authors write, “The mental health of those who were unemployed was comparable or superior to those in jobs of the poorest psychosocial quality.” They used a five-item Mental Health Inventory to look into an individual’s symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as positive aspects of mental health in the previous four weeks. The researchers focused on four job characteristics that are closely linked with mental health: the complexity and demands of the work, job security, compensation, and job control (i.e., the freedom to decide how best to do the job, rather than being ordered around).
Results showed that those who were employed had a mental-health score averaging 75.1 compared with a score of 68.5 for those without a job. Shifting from unemployment to desirable work raised the score by an average of 3.3 points, while taking a poor-quality job led to a loss of 5.6 points from the average, compared with a 1.1-point decline for those who remained unemployed. Newly employed people who felt overwhelmed, insecure about their employment, underpaid, and micromanaged reported a sharp decline in their mental health, including increased symptoms of depression and anxiety. Even those who couldn't find a job fared better. Buttorworth said that this was noteworthy finding adding “This runs counter to a common belief that any job offers psychological benefits for individuals over the demoralizing effects of unemployment.” Although certain types of jobs e.g. working in a customer-service call center, are more likely to be damaging, the working environment tends to have a greater impact on mental health than the job description itself, Butterworth adds.
Managers are especially important to employee well-being, says Robert Hogan, an expert on personality in the workplace and a former chair of the department of psychology at the University of Tulsa. “Bad bosses will make anybody unhappy,” Hogan says. “Stress comes from bad managers.”
Butterworth signs off saying that this study should make policy makers aware that workplace can hamper mental health. “In the same way that we no longer accept workplaces that are physically unsafe or in which employees are exposed to dangerous or toxic substances, there could be a greater focus on ensuring a more positive psychosocial environment at work,” he concluded.
The study received funding from the Australian government.
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