Examining the Daily Operations and Workplace Accommodations within a Social Enterprise for Individuals Living with Mental Illness in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

In contemporary societies, such as Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, an emphasis has been placed on moving individuals with mental illness into mainstream paid employment. Although mainstream employment may offer an inclusive environment, existing scholars argue that various problems can arise with this transition to paid work. For example, employers often report a minimal understanding regarding accommodations for someone with mental health issues and workers may be reluctant to disclose mental health issues for fear of workplace discrimination and/or discharge. Social enterprises have been created to address these problems and the available literature illustrates that these organizations are beneficial for individuals with mental illness because they offer necessary workplace accommodations that are often not found in mainstream jobs, allow for engagement in meaningful activity and provide the opportunity to earn a wage. However, scholars have primarily relied on secondary sources and/or surveys of these organizations and, as a result, there is a limited understanding of how social enterprise organizations work in practice. This thesis research seeks to address this gap by using participant observation, along with semi-structured interviews and focus group data, to produce an in-depth analysis that examines the daily operations of a social enterprise in Ontario, Canada, and the experiences of the workers within it. Key themes of analysis pertain to the nature of the work and the labour process; workers’ wages; the organization as a place for meaningful activity and social interaction; and the provision of workplace accommodations. The findings that have emerged from this project have empirical, methodological and conceptual contributions to the existing work on social enterprises for individuals with mental illness.