69% of Canadian workers experiencing symptoms related to burnout: survey

Among respondents who said they’ve either never or only sometimes experienced burnout, two-thirds (64 per cent) acknowledged still experiencing at least one symptom. Notably, frontline health-care workers were more likely to experience fatigue (57 per cent), irritability (40 per cent), frustration (35 per cent) and headaches (28 per cent).

Read: Survey finds a third of Canadian employees currently experiencing burnout

Although a third (32 per cent) of respondents said their mental health has improved over the past 12 months, 22 per cent reported a decline. A quarter (24 per cent) reported experiencing burnout “most of the time” or “always,” up from 21 per cent last year but down significantly since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Indeed, 12 per cent reported experiencing high levels of anxiety and 10 per cent said they’ve experienced high levels of depression, percentages that increase among unemployed Canadians (17 per cent each).

Half (50 per cent) of respondents believe their employer prioritizes preventing worker burnout and more than six in 10 (68 per cent) said they consider their workplace psychologically safe. However, 23 per cent felt their workplace isn’t psychologically safe, including nine per cent who strongly disagreed. Those in the public (28 per cent) and health-care (35 per cent) sectors were also more likely to disagree with this statement, while nine per cent were unsure.

Meanwhile, 92 per cent of managers said they can identify when team members are struggling with psychological distress at least some of the time and 53 per cent said they can do so most of the time. Notably, more than three-quarters (77 per cent) were confident in their ability to support team members once distress is identified.

Read: Four-day workweek pilot participants benefit from reduced burnout, better mental health