A quarter (26 per cent) of Canadians say work factors are their primary sources of stress, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest mental-health index.
Among this group, the leading sources of stress were volume of work (25 per cent), performance demands (14 per cent) and lack of support (12 per cent). Three-quarters (74 per cent) of all respondents reported feeling some impact of work and/or personal stress.
Managers were 45 per cent more likely than non-managers to cite volume of work as their primary source of work-related stress and employees under age 40 are 60 per cent more likely than those age 50 or older to report lack of support as their primary source of work-related stress.
Read: 20% of employees experiencing increased workplace conflict, aggression: survey
The survey’s respondents reported an overall mental-health score of 64.1, declining slightly from 64.9 points in May.
Employees who felt their mental health was supported by their employer during the coronavirus pandemic had a mental-health score more than seven points higher than the national average and nearly 15 points higher than those who didn’t feel their mental health was supported.
Employees who felt supported by their employer said the top two actions taken by their employer are offering flexibility (51 per cent) and promoting mental-health services and resources (41 per cent).
The survey also found individuals without emergency savings were twice as likely compared to those with emergency savings to have difficulties sleeping because of stress.
“We have not seen a collective mental-health score this low since January, which signals that conversations surrounding employee well-being and support should be continuing to ramp up, not slow down,” said Stephen Liptrap, president and chief executive officer of LifeWorks, in a press release.
Read: Expert panel: The future of work is flexible, prioritizes employee mental health