A relational perspective of schizophrenia at work

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-06-2022-0165
• Published date: 18 October 2022
• Date: 18 October 2022
• Pages: 321-345
• Subject Matter: HR & organizational behaviour,Employment law,Diversity,equality,inclusion
• Author: Afaf Khalid,Jawad Syed

A relational perspective

of schizophrenia at work

Afaf Khalid and Jawad Syed

Suleman Dawood School of Business, Lahore University of Management Sciences,

Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

Purpose –Despite a plethora of research on diversity and inclusion, workplace-related issues pertaining to

individuals with schizophrenia (SCZ) remain grossly underexplored. This paper seeks to develop a relational,

multilevel perspective of issues and challenges faced by individuals with SCZ in the work and career.

Design/methodology/approach –The research draws on the findings from in-depth, qualitative interviews

with schizophrenic individuals, individuals’family members, healthcare professionals and nongovernmental

organization (NGO) representatives.

Findings –The findings highlight the interconnected nature of multilevel issues faced by schizophrenic

individuals and indicate that at the societal level, social stigma, economic conditions and inadequate

government policies are the key challenges faced by them. At the organizational level workplace support and

job suitability and design affect individuals’employment. At the individual level, self-stigma affects the

employability in a negative way whereas personal motivation and resilience, family and social support and

realization of illness are the facilitating factors.

Originality/value –The study adds to disability and diversity literature by developing a relational

perspective that holistically captures theissues faced by schizophrenic individuals and suggests that the work

and employment-related issues may be simultaneously addressed at multiple levels.

Keywords Mental illness, Multilevel, Relational perspective, Schizophrenia

Paper type Research paper

While mental illness is usually an invisible inform of diversity, it has major implications for

individuals in terms of various forms of inequality, such as social and economic (Burns, 2013;

Hayes et al., 2022). People with mental illness not only face inequality and disadvantage in

education and healthcare but are also generally excluded from employment opportunities

(Ngui et al., 2010;Tsang et al., 2007). The average unemployment rate of individuals with

mental illness is almost 3 to 7 times higher than people without mental disability. Generally

speaking, this results from stigma or unfound biases against individuals with mental illness

(Hanisch et al., 2016;Moss et al., 2017). As a result, such individuals experience economic

poverty and are deprived of crucial networking within their communities (Brouwers, 2020).

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is the ninth leading source of disability (Soeker et al., 2019) affecting

almost 24 million people across the globe (WHO, 2019). It is a chronic mental disorder that

affects the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality and relates to

others. While this disease can be controlled with proper treatment (Higashi et al., 2013;Kane,

2007;WebMD, 2020), work and employment may facilitate SCZ individuals’social integration

(Rinaldi et al., 2010) and may enhance their self-esteem, quality of life and general well-being

(Luciano et al., 2014). With proper treatment and support, people suffering from SCZ may

prove to be high achievers (Ansari, 2017).

So far, there has been a dearth of academic attention to SCZ and employment across the

field of psychology and management (Doyle and McDowall, 2021). For example, a search of

A relational

perspective of

schizophrenia

321

Ethics statement: The study was conducted in accordance with the university’s guidelines for ethical

research.

Conflict of interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-7149.htm

Received 27 June 2022

Revised 7 September 2022

Accepted 29 September 2022

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 42 No. 3, 2023

pp. 321-345

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-06-2022-0165

“schizophrenia”in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion journal produced 16 results; out of

which, only one paper pertained to “disclosing mental disorder in organizations,”and none

of them was in the context of SCZ. Despite the significance of employment in social

integration and well-being of SCZ individuals, many such individuals who are capable of

working are deprived of a reasonable job. Research suggests that the number of people

with SCZ who could work is significantly greater than the number of people who are

employed (Zaprutko et al., 2015). Hence, issues and circumstances that prevent such

individuals from achieving equality of opportunity need to be understood and addressed

(Burns, 2013).

Although several studies have identified issues facing SCZ individuals at organizational

level and individual level (Marwaha and Johnson, 2005;Soeker et al., 2019;Westcott et al.,

2017), a relational perspective may be useful in understanding the interdependence and

interconnectedness of organizational factors along with social and individual factors

(€

Ozbilgin et al., 2005). As suggested by Thomas (2006), to make an impact on diversity

management at workplace and to reap full benefit of diverse workforce, approaches

applicable to both organizational (micro) and societal (macro) diversity issues should be

developed (Cox Edmondson, 2008). In order to do so, issues and challenges facing SCZ

individuals may be addressed through a comprehensive understanding of the factors at

multiple levels within and outside the workplace (Syed and €

Ozbilgin, 2009). Arguably, their

multilevel issues are not only interconnected but also lead each one of them to different

experiences (Follmer and Jones, 2018).

In response to Post et al.’s (2021) and Syed and €

Ozbilgin’s (2009) call for relational research,

this paper contributes to the literature of SCZ at work by developing a relational and

multilevel perspective that provides a holistic understanding of issues facing SCZ individuals

in addition to physical or cognitive impairments associated with their disability. It focuses on

the multilevel issues and challenges facing SCZ individuals in the way of their work and

career. Notwithstanding valuable research on this topic (e.g. Marwaha and Johnson, 2005;

Soeker et al., 2019;Westcott et al., 2017), a relational lens and a multilevel approach has not

been adopted yet. We argue that for effective policy response and impact, a multilevel

approach needs to be developed as it may help in gaining a comprehensive understanding of

the phenomenon.

The paper is structured as follows. First, a brief overview of the literature regarding issues

and challenges of SCZ at workplace through a relational lens is presented. We, then, offer the

methodology and findings of our study. Finally, we discuss the interconnected nature of the

multilevel issues faced by schizophrenic individuals in the way of their career, and offer

recommendations for future research and practice.

Literature review

Previous research suggests that individuals with SCZ face difficulty in gaining employment

(Corbi

ere et al., 2014) and often face a poor access to jobs. Many of them do not even declare

their health condition because of the fear of discrimination not only at the time of recruitment

but also after being employed (Marwaha and Johnson, 2005;DeJordy, 2008). Except for a few

family members and close friends, their condition usually remains mostly invisible to the

outside world. Even if they decide to declare their medical condition, employers, supervisors

and coworkers may not fully understand the difficulties they face and may not extend

necessary support (Holland, 2017;Bonaccio et al., 2020). While some individuals with SCZ are

not even aware of their medical condition (Bedford and David, 2014), evidence suggests that

sometimes SCZ cases remain invisible to general practitioners as well (Prince and

Phelan, 1994).

EDI

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