Working with chronic illness: the modes of working

Abstract

The ways that individuals manage their behaviours in the workplace have received increasing amounts of attention since Hochschild’s initial work on emotional labour. Since that time, aesthetic labour has been explored and varying forms of emotional labour or emotion work have been researched. Progressing this area of research into the working circumstances of individuals with chronic illness has unearthed three new modes of working which are based on similar principles to emotion work and aesthetic labour. These are called adaptive work, asymptomatic work and symptomatic work. Working with chronic illness is a unique experience and requires the use of skills beyond those normally utilised in the deployment of emotion/work or aesthetic labour. This paper will discuss on adaptive work, asymptomatic work and symptomatic work and relate them to the workforce experiences of women with chronic illness.