31/10/2016

Abadjobisharderonyourmentalhealththanunemployment

Mashable
We'reusingcookiestoimproveyourexperience.ClickHeretofindoutmore.

Mashable
MashableAsiaMashableAustraliaMashableFranceMashableIndiaMashableUK
Signin
Like
Follow

7.85Mfollowers

Follow
Mashable

seemore>
Search

Search

Videos
SocialMedia
Tech
Business
Entertainment
World
Lifestyle
AllLifestyle
Family&Parenting
Fashion
Food
Health&Fitness
Home
Travel
WorkandPlay

Maleparticipantsquit'effective'birthcontrolstudyduetomoodswings

DadwhodressedasPrincessPeachforhisdaughteraddressescriticsinopenletter

Parentsreceiveanonymouslettershamingthemfor'tiny'home

HospitalmakesadorablesuperherocostumesforNICUbabies

TealpumpkinsarebacktomakeHalloweensaferforkids

http://mashable.com/2014/12/17/badjobsmentalhealth/?utm_cid=mashcomfbmainlink#NC0BgL4NZkqo

1/6

31/10/2016

Abadjobisharderonyourmentalhealththanunemployment

GirlwhoiswaytooyoungtowatchprimetimeTVnails'WalkingDead'costume
Watercooler
Shop
More
Channels
Videos
SocialMedia
Tech
Business
Entertainment
World
Lifestyle
Watercooler
Shop
Company
AboutUs
Licensing&Reprints
Archive
MashableCareers
Contact
ContactUs
SubmitNews
Advertise
Advertise
Legal
PrivacyPolicy
TermsofUse
CookiePolicy
Apps
iPhone/iPad
Android
Resources
Subscriptions
Sites
MashableShop
JobBoard
SocialGoodSummit

21.4k
ShareonFacebookShareTweetonTwitterShareShare

Abadjobisharderonyourmentalhealththan
unemployment
21.4k
ShareonFacebookShareTweetonTwitterShareShare

http://mashable.com/2014/12/17/badjobsmentalhealth/?utm_cid=mashcomfbmainlink#NC0BgL4NZkqo

2/6

31/10/2016

Abadjobisharderonyourmentalhealththanunemployment

STEPHENBEVANforTheConversation
Dec17,2014

Like

32K

Follow@conversationuk

65.9Kfollowers

Therecanbenodoubtthatthejobmarkethasbeenmoreresilientsincethe
financialcrisisthanmanyimagined.Unemploymentdidnotriseasfaraswas
fearedandtherecoveryinemploymenttoprerecessionlevelshasbeenquicker
thanforecastbyeventhemostoptimisticlaboureconomists.So,timeforsome
selfcongratulatorybackslappingamongpolicymakersthen?Onthesurfaceof
things,atleast,itlookslikeajobsmiracle,despitethebelttighteningofausterity.
Unfortunately,havingstudiedthequalityofjobswhichmanypeopleinthe
UnitedKingdomarenowdoing,thisisnotentirelythecase.TheUKlabor
marketis,indeed,performingwellbutwehaveagrowingandpotentially
corrosiveproblemofpoorquality,precariousandtemporaryworkwhich
threatensourproductivityandcompetitiveness,levelsofsocialinclusionand,
ultimately,thehealthoftheworkforce.
Manywillarguethatthiscontingentworkisessentialifwearetohaveaflexible
labormarketandthis,ofcourse,hasalwaysbeenthecase.Buthowaboutthe
effectsofthiskindofworkonthepeopledoingit?
SEEALSO:Dontbelievetheunemploymentrate?Hereswhatshappening

Myresearchhasfocusedontherelationshipbetweenthekindsofcontingent
workthathaspoorpsychosocialqualityandthementalhealthoftheworkers
doingit.Andfindingsforceustoask,perhapsheretically,whetherweare
actuallyalwaysbetteroffinwork.

Workandwellbeing
http://mashable.com/2014/12/17/badjobsmentalhealth/?utm_cid=mashcomfbmainlink#NC0BgL4NZkqo

3/6

31/10/2016

Abadjobisharderonyourmentalhealththanunemployment

Psychosocialjobqualityinvolvesthedegreetowhichjobspromotecontrol,
autonomy,challenge,varietyandtaskdiscretion.Iteffectstheextenttowhich
workenhancesordiminishesourpsychologicalwellbeing.
There'saclearlinkbetweenbeingengagedin"goodwork"andmentalhealth.An
importantcontributiontoourunderstandingofthislinkhascomefromthe
Household,IncomeandLaborDynamicsinAustralia(HILDA)surveyin
Australia.Itbringstogetherarobustsetofdatathatcanbeeasilycomparedwith
othersituationssuchasunemployment.Theresults,publishedbyPeter
ButterworthandcolleaguesattheAustralianNationalUniversityhaveglobal
resonanceforcountriesthatareseriousaboutdevelopinganunderstandingof
whatbeing"betteroff"inworkreallymeans,beyondnarroweconomic
definitions.
Thereceivedwisdomisthatbeingoutofworkisabadthing.Itcertainlyisbad,
asweknow,forincome.Itisalsobadforselfesteem,dignity,socialinclusion,
relationshipsandhealth.So,allotherthingsbeingequal,apolicypositionthat
promotesgettingpeoplebackintoworkisbothrationalandevidencebased.
But,buildingonthisposition,andespeciallyduringaperiodofhigh
unemployment,thereceivedwisdomalsotellsusthatanyjobisagoodjob.This
axiominformscurrentUKpolicytowardscompulsoryworkexperienceandthe

"workfare"or"workforbenefits"thinkingwhichmanypoliticiansnowfavor.
SEEALSO:AlookbehindUKsimpressiveunemploymentfiguresshows
theyrenotsodazzling

Worsethanunemployment
Beinginpoorqualityworkwhich,perhaps,isboring,routineorrepresents
underemploymentorapoormatchfortheemployee'sskillsiswidelyregardedas
agoodwayfortheunemployedtoremainconnectedtothelabormarketand
tokeeptheworkhabit.ButButterworth'sdatacontradictsthis.TheHILDAdata
showsunambiguouslythatthepsychosocialqualityofbadjobsisworsethan
unemployment.Butterworthlookedatthosemovingfromunemploymentinto
employmentandfoundthat:

Thosewhomovedintooptimaljobsshowed
significantimprovementinmentalhealth
comparedtothosewhoremainedunemployed.
Thoserespondentswhomovedintopoorquality
jobsshowedasignificantworseningintheir
mentalhealthcomparedtothosewhoremained
unemployed.
Sonowwehaveaslightlydifferentanswertothequestionabouttheunemployed
beingbetteroffinwork.Yestheyare,aslongastheyareingoodqualityjobs.If
theyareinbadjobs,thereisaperverselystrongchancethattheywillbeworse
offespeciallyintermsoftheirmentalhealth.
Again,forthosewhothinkthatthereshouldbepunitiveundertonestopoliciesto
getunemployedpeoplebacktoworkwoulddowelltoquestionwhetherthe"any
jobisagoodjob"maximisasaccurateastheyliketothink.Moreover,weshould
probablyquestionwhethertherevolvingdoorcharacteristicsofsomepoliciesin
whichmanypeoplefallbackoutofworksoonafterbeingfoundajobmight
inpartowetheirpoorperformancetothedamagingpsychosocialqualityof
theworkitself.
Thisshouldn'tstopusfromstrainingeverysinewtohelppeoplefindwork.Butit
shouldmakeusthinkalotmoreabouthowthequalityofjobscanaffectour
healthandproductivity.Eveninarecession,theuncomfortabletruthmaybethat
"anyjob"maynotbeagoodjobatall.

http://mashable.com/2014/12/17/badjobsmentalhealth/?utm_cid=mashcomfbmainlink#NC0BgL4NZkqo

4/6

31/10/2016

Abadjobisharderonyourmentalhealththanunemployment

SternreviewsayslittleabouthowREFhasaffectedteaching
LifeafterDavidCameron:theConservativeshavelostamajorasset
Alzheimer'sisslowlygivingupitssecretsand'riskgenes'arejustone
pieceofthepuzzle
TheBBChelpedGreatBritishBakeOfftorisebutitdoesn'townthe
recipe
ThisarticleoriginallypublishedatTheConversationhere

TOPICS:BUSINESS,JOBS,MENTALHEALTH,
UNDEREMPLOYMENT,UNEMPLOYMENT,WORLD

SponsoredContent

Recommendedby

World

TheseconnectedelectricbicyclesaresettorunonSingapore'sroadsby2017
VictoriaHo
Thebikesarestationfree,meaningyoucanjustleaveabikebythecornerofthestreetandwalkaway.
1.1kshares1hourago

Watercooler
http://mashable.com/2014/12/17/badjobsmentalhealth/?utm_cid=mashcomfbmainlink#NC0BgL4NZkqo

5/6

31/10/2016

Abadjobisharderonyourmentalhealththanunemployment

Maleparticipantsquit'effective'birthcontrolstudyduetomoodswings
JericoMandybur
Pain.Changesinmood.Soundfamiliar?
1.2kshares2hoursago
ShareTweetShareShare

Tech

Abstinencedoesn'twork.Sowhyarewetellingteenstosimplynotsext?
ArielBogle
Consentnotabstinenceiskeywhenitcomestosexting,anewreportsays

1.1kshares6hoursago
ShareTweetShareShare

World

YoucanwatchLeonardoDiCaprio'sclimatechangedocumentaryrighthere
ColinDaileda
InBeforetheFlood,LeonardoDiCapriotravelsacrosstheglobetoexploretheeffectsofglobalwarmingaswellaspossiblesolutions.
1.5kshares8hoursago
ShareTweetShareShare

MoreinBusiness
NEW
What'sNew
What'sRising
What'sHot

http://mashable.com/2014/12/17/badjobsmentalhealth/?utm_cid=mashcomfbmainlink#NC0BgL4NZkqo

6/6