How social relationships influence academic health in the ‘enterprise university’: an insight into productivity of knowledge workers

Abstract

The comparatively poor mental health status of academics at Australian universities compared with the general Australian workforce poses a public health challenge. Productivity of knowledge workers is a key issue for the new economy. Using the case of one university, I interviewed employees stratified by level of employment and showed that their mental health is adversely affected by social relationships that result from historically‐based bargains. These rely on divergent and sometimes adversarial value systems of employers and employees and a preference for particular institutional policies and practices based on contemporary cultural trends of individualism and economic rationalism that affect social support and social networks in a detrimental way. To redress this burden of mental illness, it is imperative that employer‐employee discourse is changed to incorporate the social reality of the work context. This study offers insights into productivity of knowledge workers generally in service industries of education, information and communication.

Keywords:

• academic health
• institutional policies and practices
• mental health
• productivity of knowledge workers
• social relationships
• university employees

Acknowledgements

This research was part of the author’s 2005 thesis for the Doctor of Health Services Management from the University of New England, ‘The health that workers want’. Dr Leigh Lehane assisted with the preparation of the paper.