Why Do Persons with Mental Disorders Continue
Working in Kyodoren "Social Workplaces"?

Mayumi Komazawa（Graduate School of Core Ethics and Frontier Sciences, Ritsumeikan University）
BackgroundIn a capitalist society, persons with a mental disorder are effectively excluded from the labor market, and many such persons are forced into
non-employment or into a welfare workplace with low wages as a user supported by staff members.（Saito 2010）
In contrast to this, Kyodoren has envisioned a "social workplace" where disabled persons and persons without disabilities work together on anequal footing, basically eliminating disparities in working conditions such as wages. While the number of such facilities is small, operations aredeveloping with differences in each location.（Yonezawa 2014）

PurposeThis study clarifies how Kyodoren social workplaces are established based on the philosophy of "equal equality" in which there are no people
without disabilities serving as occupational instructors and wages and other working conditions are the same and why persons with a mental
disorder continue working in such places.

MethodParticipants

Field location｜A social workplace (established in 2010, toilet
cleaning, open all year round, working hours from 9:00 to
16:00, 21 days per month, monthly salary of 107,000 yen).
Members｜17 persons in their 20s ~ 60s who have physical,
intellectual, or mental disabilities (including 4 persons
released from prison) + 1 elderly person with no disabilities.
Research methods｜Participation observation at work sites,
interviews with workers, and interviews with four persons
with a mental disorder (April-August 2019)Years ofwork

Age Gender Disability typeDisabilitypension

General Welfare
employment employment

A 1 year

30s male

Bipolar disorder―〇―B 7 years

40s male

Schizophrenia

2nd grade―〇

C 12 years 50s female Schizophrenia―〇―

D 3 years

2nd grade〇〇

50s female Schizophrenia

Results
Wages

1. How the social workplace operates

2. Why persons with mental disorders continue working there

1-1. Wages distributed equally

2-1. Financial reasons●Some persons complain that those who are slow or
unable to work properly receive the same wages, but it ispossible to live on a wage of ¥100,000 plus a pension of¥65,000 (total of ¥160,000) per month, so although there
may be complaints, they are not at a level serious enoughto quit if one is paid a stable wage.
●The philosophy of "a place where everyone works
equally" is printed on the uniform, so I have given up[complaining].

Workplace 1-2. Working on an equal footing
environment●(In comparison with general companies) 100,000 yen is low, but it is 10 times higher(compared to 10,000 yen at a workshop), so it is better to work while complaining rather thanquit and be unemployed.（Mr. B）.
●When working in general employment, there is a fear of "relapsing" and returning to nonemployment.（Mr. A）●Persons with disabilities are compensated by public benefits.（Mr. A, Mr. B）●Even in the same social workplace, if the subsidy system differs a wage of 100,000 yen will
not be paid (some offices also pay tens of thousands of yen).（Mr. A）

2-2. Psychological reasons●There are no staff members without disabilities to●No staff members to provide guidance or management (as is the case in a workshop).
instruct disabled persons, but this is dealt with by having
There is a high degree of freedom without being instructed.（Mr. B）
several persons with physical, mental, and mild intellectual One is not told hurtful things and does not feel depressed, and there are no situations of being
disabilities who can understand what is happening on site
unable to think straight due to busyness (as is the case in an ordinary company).（Mr. A）
and determine what to do being assigned to each team.
●Because one is left alone to a moderate degree, there is a sense of working with ease, so●Because there is no supervision, autonomy increases.
persons who were previously shut-ins continue working without quitting.（Mr. B, Mrs.C）●Some persons struggle to read, write, and speak, but●Although there are unsatisfactory cases such as people who do mischief and get in the way
persons in the team who are capable of completing dailyof work, people who do not work, etc., nothing will change by thinking about them, so I do
team reports and completing check sheets for each site do not dwell on them.
so.
(Because it is a system that does not cut, does not divide, and allows working together)●It is possible to focus on smartphone game applications（Mrs.C）
during breaks, so a reasonable distance between●There is no person who has the role of providing mental care, but when there are worries,
employees can be maintained without any
co-workers (friends) listen. （Mrs.D）
friction/awkwardness.
●There are no welfare specialists who can be consulted on 2-3. Social reasonssite, but it is better not to have them.
●Voices of appreciation from toilet users who are citizens. （Mrs.C）(interviews are not always effective).
●It is a job that allows people to interact directly with society, meet people, expand theirworld, experience freedom, and take pride. （Mr. B）● I think I can experience the role of being a bridge between people without disabilities andpeople with disabilities (Mr. A)

Conclusion
It was revealed that as persons with mental disorders / physical disabilities / mild intellectual disabilities are divided and assigned to each team, the teams manage
to get the job done while having persons with mental disorders present and the operation of the workplace is established by persons with different types anddegrees of disabilities helping one another. This can be described peer support beyond disability type.
It was revealed that even if there is dissatisfaction with respect to wages and relationships, persons with a mental disorder continue working in social workplaces
because of ① financial reasons（107,000 yen is distributed uniformly by wage compensation through public benefits）, ② psychological reasons（there are no staff
or supervisors who provide instruction or management at the work site, human relationships in the workplace environment are not difficult , and when there areworries, co-workers (friends) listen）, and ③ social reasons（a job that allows people to interact directly with society and that is socially approved）.
Additionally, it was also revealed that because it is a system that does not cut, does not divide, and allows working together, those involved in it do not dwell on
their complaints because they know there is nothing to be done about them.
References T Saito(2010), Construction of the "Employment" Model for Persons with a Mental Disorder—Concerning the Relationship with Social Welfare Needs. M.C. Muse Inc.

A Yonezawa(2014), Significance and Issues of "Social workplaces" Where Disabled and General Workers Work Together—Kyodoren as a Case Study. Journal of the Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training