Seven in 10 (70 per cent) Canadian workers say flexibility is key to job satisfaction, according to Telus Health’s latest mental-health index.
It found while the average mental-health score of Canadian workers remained unchanged (63.9) from the previous month, roughly a third (34 per cent) of respondents had a high mental-health risk.
Indeed, seven per cent of respondents said they don’t have flexibility in their work and the averagemental-health score (61.3) of this group was nearly three points lower than the national average.
Nearly a third (63 per cent) of employees in a hybrid working arrangement noted they’re satisfied with their arrangement and this group reported an average mental-health score higher than the national average (68.2). Nearly a third of hybrid workers said flexible scheduling (31 per cent) or the ability to work remotely when needed (30 per cent) would most improve their work situation. Notably, workers younger than age 40 were more likely to be dissatisfied with a hybrid work situation.
Read: 55% of Canadian workers say employer-sponsored health benefits don’t meet their needs: survey
More than half (58 per cent) of respondents said they don’t want to work onsite because of the time and the cost of commuting. Two-fifths (40 per cent) noted work-life balance best supports their well-being at work, followed by access to health benefits (18 per cent), having a sense of purpose (13 per cent) and a positive workplace (11 per cent).
More than a quarter (27 per cent) said setting boundaries between work and life helps them feel energized at the end of the day, followed prioritizing self-care (18 per cent), sharing responsibilities/delegating tasks (16 per cent), agreement on, or better understanding of, work priorities (13 per cent) and open communication with colleagues and leaders (12 per cent).
Nearly half (46 per cent) of workers who are concerned about their weight reported a mental-health score (58.4) lower than the national average, with women 50 per cent more likely than men to be concerned about their weight.
Read: Flexible working, work-life balance can impact workers’ well-being, quality of life: report