The meaning and value of work

In the research interviews, study participants were asked about whether their work was or had been important to them and to give their opinion on the viewpoint that ‘work is good for you’. Responses to these two areas of inquiry demonstrated that a majority of people in the study group saw work as beneficial in a range of ways.

People varied in how strongly they felt about their specific job or profession.18

Some people described their work as a ‘passion’ or talked enthusiastically about their commitment to their job or their clients. Some people emphasised that it was important to them to do a meaningful and worthwhile job that involved helping others, or to feel a sense of identification with the company they worked for. On the other hand, for some people, work was more of a ‘means to an end’. Reflecting on their work histories, some people felt that they had never been particularly ambitious or career-minded, but had worked primarily in order to support their family and life outside of work. There were also people who felt that current or recent jobs had not been particularly engaging or connected to

18 _{The diversity among the study group means it is difficult to make any general}

comments about people’s employment histories. Given the range of ages among participants (18 to 64) the length of people’s working lives varied substantially. The education and subsequent employment pathways people had taken over their years in the labour market also varied greatly.

their longer term career plans, but they had nevertheless ‘taken it seriously’ and enjoyed work on a day-to-day basis.

Among the study group overall, there was much evidence that people placed a great deal of importance on being in rather than out of work, regardless of the level of personal meaning they attributed to their particular occupation. Where there had been significant gaps in people’s employment, the main reasons given were time off while caring for young children and previous periods out of employment due to the effects of mental health conditions, which for a minority of people included time in residential settings. There were also a small number of people who had spent time in prison. Although a number of people had some experience of claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), there were few accounts of long-term unemployment.

The strength of people’s desire to be in work was evident in a number of ways, including: the length of time that some people ‘struggled on’ in work despite

experiencing mental ill health; the actions of people who had left work due to a

mental health condition but taken up another position prior to claiming Incapacity

Beneit (IB); voluntary moves off IB to JSA when people felt able to work; and

the continued jobsearch activities of some people who said they had never really stopped thinking about work while on IB. As noted in Chapter 3, there was also much evidence that people saw work as being the normal, expected and desirable status and way of supporting oneself:

I’m a person who supports myself, I have responsibilities out there. I have my needs, I have my standards and that entails work.

(Male, 30s)

I was brought up in the situation where everybody worked, and worked hard at whatever they were doing, and it’s just not in our psyche not to work. (Female, 50s)

It was very clear from most people’s comments that they did not like to be inactive, and so long as they were feeling well enough, they wanted to be in work. Notwithstanding their periods of struggling in work due to mental ill health, most people said that they enjoyed being in work and there was widespread general agreement with the proposition that ‘work is good for you’. Several common themes emerged as people elaborated on what they saw as the benefits of being in employment.

One important benefit was that work kept people ‘active’ and ‘occupied’, giving them ‘something to do’ or ‘something to get up for’. The routine and structure provided by work was also seen as beneficial in providing ‘stability’ and ‘keeping you going’. For some people who had experienced depression or drug addiction, keeping busy and ‘distracted’ through work was cited as particularly important in avoiding boredom or excessive time to ‘dwell on’ things, which could trigger or exacerbate their mental health condition:

Since I’ve been back in work now, I feel a lot more alive with myself ... When I was on the Incapacity there was nothing to do, you just sit around and it wasn’t really helping me in any way really. ... It’s like digging a hole and burying yourself really. You sit around doing nothing and the hole just keeps on getting bigger and I didn’t feel it helped in any way.

(Male, 20s)

Working’s very good for people. It keeps them motivated, it keeps them concentrated, it keeps them a decent person, and it keeps them a more practical person, more to life, you know.

(Male, 20s)

Linked to this theme of activity and mental stimulation, people noted the social benefits of employment. Work got people ‘out and about’ interacting and engaging with others, which was again noted as important in reducing the isolation that could exacerbate depression. Furthermore, for some people, work was a source of ‘camaraderie’ and an environment where they had built strong friendships. Having a job was seen to provide psychological benefits of ‘pride’, ‘dignity’ and ‘self-esteem’. There were also references to the ‘persona’ and ‘respect’ that accompanied the positions that some people had held in the past. People also talked about the satisfaction they got from doing their job well, from being ‘appreciated’ and from feeling they had a ‘meaningful’ or ‘useful’ role. Some people specifically felt that it was important to make a ‘contribution to society’. Work was also valued for enabling financial independence from a partner or parents, and for some people was also valued for providing a separate identity from their domestic and parenting role. There were also comments that work was central to ‘getting somewhere’ in life and ‘having a standing of your own’. Increased confidence was also a benefit that some people said they gained through their work.

There was also recognition that work had a key role in providing an income. As already noted, some people took a fairly instrumental approach to work and saw an income as their principal motivation. Fulfilling a ‘provider’ role for their family was important to some people. Others noted how, at certain times of life, income levels became a more central concern, for example, when starting a family or supporting children through university. However, when asked about the importance of work, financial gains were not among the most common spontaneous responses. Some people specifically stated that money was not foremost among the benefits they gained from work and that the social engagement or personal fulfilment was of greater value to them.

Although everybody in the study group viewed work as beneficial in principle, it is important to note that a small number of people, namely those who were experiencing a period of acute mental ill health at the time of the research interview, felt that work would not be good for them at the moment. Recalling the discussion in the previous chapter, a number of people felt that, at the time their mental health condition was at its most severe, they too could not have stayed

in work in the short term. Finally, some people who had experienced anxiety or depression noted that it was important to be in a job that they enjoyed. One person explained that when experiencing depression ‘everything’s a struggle’ and so a job that was not enjoyable only made life harder, while another said that work was good for you if you were happy at work, but not if you were ‘miserable and coming home stressed’.