Depression at work, authenticity in question: Experiencing, concealing and revealing

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Policies exist in Australia and the UK to support employees with mental illness, such as depression.
• A deeper understanding of workers' lived experiences, including moral failure, is crucial for effective support.
• Current support systems may not fully address the nuanced challenges faced by employees with depression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the experiential issues of workers who intersect depression with their work lives.
• To understand how the imperative for authenticity at work is navigated by individuals experiencing depression.
• To identify the contradictory forces influencing employees' decisions regarding visibility and support-seeking.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of 73 in-depth interviews.
• Interviews were conducted with participants from the United Kingdom and Australia.
• The study focused on narratives where depression and work experiences intersected.

Main Results:

• Participants struggled with performing authenticity at work due to depression-related self-confusion.
• A significant number of participants adopted a façade to appear 'well' and 'authentic'.
• Conflicting pressures arose between the expectation of authenticity/visibility and the moral norm of being a 'good' (healthy) employee.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights the complex interplay between mental health, authenticity, and workplace expectations.
• Navigating depression at work involves managing contradictory social and personal imperatives.
• Further development of workplace support is needed to acknowledge and address these experiential complexities.