Unsteady employment, such as part-time and temporary contractual work offering low wages and no benefits, is associated with poor mental health, the report says. People with low job security also experience more physical and mental health issues than those with steady full-time jobs with benefits.
“All aspects of our lifestyle, including how we work, are intrinsically linked to our well-being and our quality and length of life,” says Dr. Charles Muntaner, a scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, and chair of the Employment Conditions Knowledge Network, which provided workplace data and recommendations to inform the report.
Another risk factor for mental and physical illness is a highly demanding job offering low control and little pay for high effort. Jobs like this increase a person’s risk of major depression, anxiety and substance-abuse disorders, according to the report. Work stress is also associated with a 50% increased risk of coronary heart disease.
Canada is similar to other wealthy nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, in that we are more tolerant of health inequities than countries such as Sweden and Denmark.
The report, Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity through Action on the Social Determinants of Health, makes recommendations to achieve health equality, including improving employment conditions. The report also outlines global, national and local actions that can be taken to improve labour conditions.
Manager’s gender can influence workplace stress A manager’s gender can greatly influence the mental and physical well-being of employees, according to a study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. Using data from a 2005 national survey of working adults in the United States, University of Toronto researchers analyzed the psychological distress levels and physical symptoms (headaches, fatigue, etc.) of three sets of workers: those with one male and one female supervisor, those with one same-sex supervisor, and those managed by a single supervisor of the opposite gender. The researchers found that women working for a single female supervisor had higher levels of physical and psychological distress than women working for a lone male manager. Women managed by two mixed-gender supervisors reported more stress and physical symptoms than women working under one male supervisor. On the other hand, men working under a single male manager reported higher levels of stress and physical symptoms than their counterparts reporting to two mixedgender managers. Men managed by a single supervisor, male or female, reported similar levels of stress and physical symptoms regardless of their boss’s gender. |
Employers receive accolades
The National Quality Institute recently announced the winners of its 2008 Canada Awards for Excellence, an awards program recognizing business excellence in quality, customer service and healthy workplace practices.
Order of Excellence Awards, NQI’s highest level of recognition, were presented to American Express in Markham, Ont., Buffett & Company Worksite Wellness Ltd. in Whitby, Ont., R. H. King Academy in Toronto, and Vincent Massey Public School in Ottawa.
Healthy Workplace Awards were presented to the Industrial Accident Prevention Association in Mississauga, Ont., and New Brunswick Power in Fredericton, N.B.
The winners were honoured at a gala dinner in October at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Shift workers have less work-life balance Shift workers have more difficulty achieving worklife balance than those who work regular hours, according to a study by Statistics Canada. In 2005, 29% of shift workers were somewhat dissatisfied with their work-life balance, compared to 23% of regular day workers, according to the study. Nearly 31% of shift workers complained of role overload—having too much to do in too little time—compared to 27% of regular day workers. Shift workers were also more likely to cut back on sleep, spend less time with their spouses, and worry about not spending enough time with family. More than four million Canadians worked shifts that year. Of these people, 3.3 million were full-time employees, putting in 30 or more hours a week. Men made up most of these full-time shift workers (65%), while the majority of women shift workers (69%) worked part-time. |
Owen Sound aims for zero illnesses, injuries
The City of Owen Sound in Ontario has committed to promoting healthier and safer workplaces.
Mayor Ruth Lovell signed on to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s (WSIB) Community Workplace Health and Safety Charter, the WSIB’s latest tool for increasing awareness of workplace health and safety. By signing the charter, the City of Owen Sound has made a public commitment to actively participate in eliminating workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the community.
“We know that successful workplace safety begins at the top,” said Steve Mahoney, chair, WSIB. “That’s why I’m thrilled that Mayor Lovell and her council have endorsed the charter and committed to serve as role models for all employers in the community. Together, we need to build a culture of workplace health and safety in every Ontario municipality, where the only acceptable number of workplace injuries and illnesses is zero.”
To date, more than two dozen municipalities have signed the charter, including Mississauga, Sudbury and Windsor.
The direct and indirect cost of workplace injuries in Ontario are an estimated $15 billion. “That’s money that could be invested in communities; instead, that money is taken out of the economy by workplace injuries—injuries that are 100% preventable,” Mahoney says.
Off the shelf Nine out of 10 workplaces experience some sort of uncivil behaviour, verbal abuse and bullying, according to the (U.S.) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The Dysfunctional Workplace by Peter Morris (ISBN 1598694138, Adams Business) offers readers practical tools and strategies for managing difficult interpersonal relationships at work. The first in a series, the book includes employee personality profiles, in-depth case studies, and interviews on CD with workplace management experts aimed at helping readers learn how to handle everything from workplace discord to harassment and gender politics. |
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