BMJ podcast: Psychological coercion in UK government workfare programmes (11 minutes), 2015

There is a full paper somewhere out there too.

Key points
Route out to employment is positive mindset
Lack of employment is a character deficit.
Maintenance of a positive affect is woven into decisions over sanctions.
Occurring in job centres and private provider premises, places of serious power dynamic.
Psychological benefits of work being exaggerated at a time when low paid/below proper living wages being so common
Ideas taken from and legitimate by psychology are being used in socially coercive and punative ways. Psychology and psychiatry professionals in positions of power should be taking more responsibility to call this out, currently its disabled people's groups and other groups pulling that weight. No formal response to the issue by the major psych bodies, only by some individuals psychs.
Other issues surrounding psychological coercion are the proposal to put psychologists in job centres and the proposal that claimants who refuse specific treatments may have their benefits cut.

 

Ps apologies for the brevity, using my phone.

 

United against welfare cuts and welfare reform: report from the lobby of the British Psychological Society conference, 18th January 2017
https://freepsychotherapynetwork.com/category/jobcentres/

Edit:
This guy is having the same bright idea all over again. Posted since the pandemic started.
"Job Centres need to be places where people receive professional support with both their job search and mental health issues. The goal: employability and personal stability. This will require the existing role of Work Coach to change to one of Employability and Social Support Advisor – a role that is professionalised and well paid to reflect the heavy workloads and social responsibilities they already undertake as social worker, psychologist, friend, parent, guide and job adviser."
https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/BeyondThePandemic_unemployment

I've been on the gov website and looked at guidance for contractors, it talks plenty about sanctions and mandatory activities but doesn't specify either.

 

"The Work Coach can also provide referrals to a specialist work psychologist, if needed, for a more detailed employment assessment"

Quote from a current job centre guide website:

https://www.jobcentreguide.co.uk/jobcentre-plus-guide/34/about-disability-employment-advisors

 

this one?
Positive affect as coercive strategy: conditionality, activation and the role of psychology in UK government workfare programmes.

https://mh.bmj.com/content/41/1/40

 

iirc IDS and George Osborne lost their jobs and the impetus behind an ever more unpleasant agenda went away for a bit. Now there's talk of post covid austerity and there's a danger of the old stuff being floated again, we're already hearing old chestnuts again like job centre engagement for the most disabled and 'focus on what they can do', etc

 

Well I'm pretty good at crashing - but in order to do it professionally I'd want at least £100K pa, dental, and at least 52 weeks (pa) paid holiday.

 

Ah, but do you have a HGV licence?