A quarter (25 per cent) of Canadian employees are experiencing increased tension or conflict at work, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest mental-health index.
The survey’s respondents reported an overall mental-health score of 65, a slight increase from June’s score of 64.1. By comparison, workers reporting increased conflict or tension had a score of 51.8.
Employees age 40 and younger are 80 per cent more likely than workers age 50 or older to report increased tension or conflict. Managers reported a slightly lower mental-health score (64.8) than non-managers (65.1) and were 50 per cent more likely than non-managers to report increased tension or conflict. Self-employed workers had the highest score (67.7), while respondents working for companies with 51 to 100 employees had the lowest (63.3).
Read: 26% of Canadians say work factors are their primary sources of stress: survey
Nearly three-quarters (71 per cent) of employees said they trust their organization to act ethically and this group had a higher mental-health score (68.6), while nine per cent said they don’t trust their organization to act ethically and reported a score of 52.4. Respondents age 40 and younger were 40 per cent more likely than those age 50 and older not to trust their organization to act ethically.
Employees who reported a reduction in their salary compared to the prior month had the lowest mental-health score (51), compared to those working fewer hours (55), those not currently employed (64.7) and those with no change to salaries or hours (66.1). Workers without emergency savings reported a mental-health score of 43.9, while individuals with emergency savings had a score of 74.7.
Among working parents, more than a quarter (27 per cent) said their dependant children are experiencing anxiety about the future due to the events of the last two years and 24 per cent said the last two years have negatively impacted their children’s social development.
“As organizations consider the well-being support provided to employees, emphasis on parental needs and employee assistance programs is crucial,” said Stephen Liptrap, president and chief executive officer of LifeWorks, in a press release. “These resources are critical to ensuring that employees and their families can thrive, which benefits those families, their employers and society in general.”
Read: A fifth of Canadian workers experiencing increase in negative mental health: survey