ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that the ways in which a therapeutic turn in politics and culture has invaded the industrial, business and public sector workplace. It argues that workers who, less than 25 years ago, styled themselves as ‘the enemy within’ find that they have an ‘enemy within’, namely an enemy constituted by consciousness of their own vulnerability. The chapter outlines the rise of diminished workers and managers, and offers examples of activities and images that create it. It examines why presenteeism has come to be seen as a problem and the social and personal functions that it reflects. The chapter explores examples of how workplaces provide therapeutic interventions for fractious workers who feel stressed and bullied. It summarises how education in the form of credentialism pervades the workplace. The chapter also shows how the development, monitoring and the sacking of workers provide myriad opportunities for therapeutic activity. It highlights implications for the future of therapeutic workplaces.
