Employees aged 40 and younger are 60 per cent more likely than workers aged 50 and older to lack confidence in their ability to cope with stressors at work, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest mental-health index.
The survey’s respondents reported an overall mental-health score of 64.6, up slightly from 64.3 in November. The sub-scores for anxiety (58), isolation (60.6) and work productivity (62.9) also improved slightly from the previous month. Employees who said they aren’t able to cope with stress had a mental-health score of 44.8.
Nearly a third (32 per cent) of respondents reported a high mental-health risk, while 43 per cent reported a moderate risk and 25 per cent reported a low mental-health risk.
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Working Canadians without emergency savings had a mental-health score of 42.6, while employees with emergency savings had a mental-health score of 74.6. Two-fifths (38 per cent) reported an increase in stress during the holiday season and, among these respondents, 34 per cent indicated concern about being able to afford the gifts they wanted to give. This latter group had a mental-health score of 45.4.
Half (49 per cent) of respondents said they’d be interested in a free, fully confidential assessment of their mental health and well-being. Two-fifths (38 per cent) said they’d prefer an in-person assessment, while 37 per cent said they’d prefer an online assessment and eight per cent said they’d prefer to be assessed over the phone.
The index also found 13 per cent of employees said they don’t feel connected or accepted by the people they know and this group reported a mental-health score of 54.6. Similarly, 14 per cent said they don’t plan to return to pre-coronavirus pandemic holiday gatherings due to a change in relationships and this group reported a mental-health score of 56.7.
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