Essays on the organizational context of mental health disorders

Mental disorders represent a growing concern in contemporary society, with recent statistics indicating increasing trends across countries. These disorders adversely affect workplace functioning through reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher employee turnover. Despite their relevance, mental health disorders remain underexplored in management research due to historical stigma, disciplinary fragmentation, and a reactive research orientation. This dissertation advances the field by investigating how organizational factors influence the onset and spread of mental health disorders among employees. It comprises three empirical studies, each addressing a distinct organizational antecedent of mental distress. The first study examines how offshoring strategies impact the onset of mental disorders in onshore workers, highlighting the role that changing job demands and resources play. The second study replicates and critically assesses a recent and controversial finding on the workplace contagion of mental health disorders. The third study investigates the relationship between temporary employment and mental health, with a novel focus on how firms’ hiring strategies affect this link. All studies rely on detailed administrative microdata from Statistics Netherlands, enabling robust and policy-relevant insights. By bridging disciplinary gaps and adopting a proactive research stance, this dissertation contributes to a more integrated understanding of how organizational practices shape employee mental health, offering implications for management theory and practice.

Clerckx, R. (2024). Essays on the organizational context of mental health disorders. Dissertation, Hasselt University, handle:1942/44673.

Under embargo until 16 November 2029.