Victim blaming on mental health problems in workplaces

I recently came across a "plan" for addressing mental health in the water industry that I consider a perfect example of the sort of victim blaming idiocy that accepts the lie that work "has" to be stressful, understaffed, and high pressure. 

It doesn't, and it is only decades of neoliberal ideology creating a situation where everyday people struggle to pay their bills that anyone could even vaguely consider such abuses in the name of other pockets / profits to be acceptable. 

Ironically, I had written to my local (state) MP about this just hours beforehand. Below is a de-identified extract from that email. I've also fixed some typos and added a comment.

*** 

I have been made aware that the _ has a petition underway seeking support for the government to act on "mentally safe workplaces".

I am very aware and grateful for the support that the government has made available on psychological well being and safety, particularly the LGBTIQ+ communities - and I am also very aware and grateful for the massive steps forward on industrial physical safety.

On the other hand, I am also aware of the failure of some unions in particular, and the union movement generally, on these matters. There have been times over the last four decades when unions were either part of the problem, or aided and abetted psychological abuse [by being discriminatory or] by refusing to consider anything except pay - which, in my opinion, helped the spread of the evil of neoliberalism. That, combined with working under abusers (at least one of whom I consider met the criteria for being a psychopath), has caused me enormous harm - much of it still ongoing.

I will therefore not sign the petition. However, if there is some sort of opportunity to take further action to improve the psychological safety of workplaces that I do not know of, I would, in principle, support such action being taken.

I have had colleagues:

• commit suicide because of work stress,
• suffer health problems because of things like not having the energy to exercise after a day's work (it is not just time, it also how energy people are left with to exercise and otherwise live with),
• been driven out of careers by workplace stress, and
• watched people fall apart psychologically from work expectations (some in emergency services) - including myself, at times.
  

(I've also seen a friend leave her career as a female chippie because of physical injuries, and have a young friend overseas whose father was killed in a workplace accident, so I'm very much aware of the needs for physical safety as well.)

Getting counselling is not the solution to such problems: it is a band aid response to workplace problems, as exemplified by the growing categorisation of burnout as a failure of companies to manage workload and stress. Another illustration of that would be treating soldiers suffering from "shell shock" (now termed PTSD) so they can be sent back into a situation that is likely to cause psychological problems again. A further example of this principle would be healing a torture victim and then sending them back to be subjected to more torture - and, psychologically, too many workplaces are places of psychological torture.

In the last couple of decades, I have worked for some magnificent managers - people who both effective at their job and also wonderful human beings (especially the one who reversed decades of discrimination b giving me a 30% pay rise), and I am relieved and pleased that they are becoming more prevalent. However, I consider the remnant dinosaurs (including any psychopaths - having been bullied by such people when I was a child, I consider the term sociopath a misleading and unhelpful cop-out) likely to try all that they can to dissemble - to create a facade of compliance and caring, while seeking to continue to abuse workers to enable financial gain.

I consider: 

• the 1800s a time when the crux of the struggle between workers and management/owners was for basic rights, such as the 8 hour day;
  
• the 1900s was a time when the crux of the struggle between workers and management/owners for physical safety (still ongoing, to some extent - especially in other states and overseas);
  the 2000s will be a time when the crux of the struggle between workers and management/owners will be for psychological safety and wellbeing.