Known and Unknown Mental Illness: Uncovering the Multiple Routes to Workplace Inequities

Abstract

This article examines the hidden nature of mental illness in the workplace and the resulting inequities. We examine inequities that may occur when mental illness is known to others and when it is concealed in the workplace. When mental illness is known to others, assumptions about capabilities, dangerousness, validity of mental illness, and the health consequences of work can drive a variety of employment inequities, including unfair or inaccurate hiring decisions, underemployment, inaccurate performance appraisals and judgments about potential, social shunning resulting in weak social networks, fewer resources to deal with discrimination, bullying, and difficulty in obtaining accommodations. When mental illness is concealed, misattributions about behavior and performance, self-stigma, and identity management dynamics can lead to similar inequities. Research in other fields has mainly examined inequities occurring when others know about the mental illness. Furthermore, this research conducted outside the management field does not usually address the more proximal causes and workplace dynamics behind inequities. The purpose of this article is to uncover the multiple routes to workplace inequities facing employees with mental illness and to spur management researchers to devote more research attention to these issues to promote the full inclusion of people with mental illness into the workforce.