Jane Suter, Senior Lecturer, School for Business and Society
Jane’s research focuses workplace mental health and well being, employee voice and engagement, work-life balance and presenteeism.
Jane has a BSc in Psychology, an MSc in Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations, and a PhD.
email: jane.suter@york.ac.uk
Our 60-second interview with Jane:
Could you please tell us what work you do in the field of mental health?
I have worked on a variety of projects topics that explore how organisational context shapes employee experience of work and wellbeing, and how managers, organisations and policy makers respond to and support individuals in the workplace who experience mental health problems. For example, one explored the impact of 12-hour shifts on employee wellbeing in acute mental health settings. Another examined the experiences of small and micro business managers responding to employees with mental heath difficulties.
What do you find most rewarding and inspiring in this work?
I enjoy taking a qualitative approach to research, as I want to find out how and why things happen through analysing human relationships and behaviour, and processes and complexities in organisational life that is rich with context. Qualitative methodologies have the ability to bring stories to life, which can enrich mental health and wellbeing research.
What is the most challenging or complicated aspect of this work?
People often ask how to ‘fix’ issues around workplace mental health and wellbeing, but there is no straightforward answer to this. While decent line management, quality jobs, effective communication, autonomy and flexible working can help with workplace wellbeing, my research into managing mental health in small businesses demonstrated that supporting individuals who experience mental health problems can be trickier for managers to navigate. I am concerned that the proliferation of resources, guides and an increased commodification of wellbeing will overshadow development of more effective mental health support in workplaces.
What impact do you hope your work is having - or can potentially have?
Many people who experience health problems are in employment and continue to attend work during periods of reduced mental health. By developing our understanding of workplace experiences of both employees and managers, we can improve outcomes for individuals with mental health difficulties and help them to thrive in workplaces.
Could you share with us one piece of advice that you follow for your own mental health?
I try to invest my energies in things I can control and refocus on the positives. I find it helpful to pick my battles.