Psychologically Speaking

with Stewart Hase

The new chimney sweeps

One of the more notable side effects of the industrial revolution was the exploitation of workers. Young children were sent up chimneys, coal miners choked to death or were buried underground, and sweatshops were a feature of manufacturing industries. We now recognise the inhumane conditions in which people worked in the past and the pittance they were paid. Things have changed. We appear to have become more civilised. Or have we?

There is a new inhumanity in workplaces, although now it is more psychological than physical. Instead of sending children up chimneys we make work incredibly insecure. People with mortgages and children to raise have no security of tenure as they become part of what is known as the casual work force. In this new world work organisations can simply use you when they want you and discard you when they don't. Employers can wait until the last possible moment to renew the contract. They can dilly dally. And there is little room for negotiation about rates of pay or length of contract. There is not much room for complaint either. Casual and short term contract staff have no power at all.

While it is true that some organisations treat this class of workers well, there are others that are incredibly careless. I have witnessed some of the psychological distress that this situation can create for people. In my view it is abusive. The most obvious effect is insecurity, which leads to anxiety and its myriad associated problems. But there are more subtle problems. One of these is self-esteem, which is incredibly dependent on the way we are treated by others. If we are treated badly and/or abused, this can lead to self-doubt and a sense of low self-worth. Work is viewed so importantly in our society that being highly regarded is a key way to feeling good about oneself, having a sense of purpose. The opposite is also true.

As well as this new class of worker there are other inhumane aspects to work in these so called modern times. There is an expectation that we will work longer hours now, without overtime. There is much more scrutiny under the guise of quality and micro-management has become the new dogma. Job security is a thing of the past. The result: a general sense of discontent and heightened anxiety. Of course, for the unemployed all this is true in spades.

I suspect we haven't come very far at all since the industrial revolution and we have to learn a lot yet about how not to exploit people and provide meaningful work for all.