Ideology in the workplace: A psychological perspective on the hyper-normalisation of neoliberal beliefs

This chapter discusses how ideology manifests in the workplace. In particular, it focuses on how ideology becomes internalised by individuals at work. Using psychoanalytic perspectives and building on work of philosopher Slavoj Žižek, the function of ideology is explained as a fantasy structuring reality. Based on an analysis of how neoliberal ideology influences work and careers, we show the fantasmatic structure of ideology as internalised into people’s core beliefs about how work is structured and organised. In addition, the chapter highlights how emotional investment of workers in ideology causes them to adopt a fantasy of normality, which underpins the perpetuation of the neoliberal status quo in workplaces. When neoliberal capitalism is accepted as the only way through which work can be organised, it over-emphasises the importance of competition, individualism and instrumentality as the cornerstones of work and human behaviour at work. This unfolds at the expense of humane and planetary values such as the dignity of people and the planet. The chapter, therefore, finishes by setting out future research possibilities for more dignified workplaces, building on workplace dignity as an alternative ideology against neoliberal capitalism.