Workplace wellbeing culture impacting Canadians’ mental health; women at highest risk

LifeWorks Mental Health Index™ indicates that nearly half of Canadians want employers to implement mandatory vaccines in reopening policies

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LifeWorks, a leading provider of digital total wellbeing solutions, today released its monthly Mental Health Index™, revealing a negative mental-health score among Canadians for the 16^th consecutive month.

Key findings:

• Overall mental-health score of -10.1 compared to the pre-pandemic benchmark, reaching its highest point since the launch of the index in April 2020.
• Managers were 20 per cent more likely than non-managers to request mandatory vaccinations upon the return-to-workplace.
• Thirteen per cent of respondents feel that the culture of their organization does not support their personal wellbeing. This group has a mental-health score of -22.3.
• Twenty-four per cent of respondents are unsure of their company’s culture of support. This group has a mental-health score of -16.8.
• Sixty-three per cent of respondents feel that the culture of their organization supports their personal wellbeing. This group has a mental-health score of -6.6.

Women are impacted at a disproportionate rate:

• Women were 40 per cent more likely than men to report that their organization’s culture does not support their personal wellbeing.
• Thirty-five per cent of women indicated that they would prefer to work from home full-time to prioritize personal wellbeing, compared to 30 per cent of men.
• Nine per cent of respondents want work from home to avoid tension or conflict with managers or co-workers or to avoid in-person interaction with customers.
• Women were nearly twice as likely as men to want to work from home to avoid tension or conflict with co-workers.

Comments from president and chief executive officer, Stephen Liptrap
“Personal wellbeing has taken on new meaning over the past year, with remote work enabling a sense of autonomy, redefined work-life integration and new prioritization of mental health. Many employees, however, continue struggling to find the right blend of professional and personal wellbeing and in many cases, are turning to employers for support. As we navigate return-to-workplace plans, it is critical that organizations look at employees as individuals beyond work and build a culture that supports personal needs in all working environments.”

Mixed views on vaccination policies, slightly favouring employer-mandated vaccine policies:

• Forty-seven per cent of respondents want mandated vaccination policies implemented by their employer. This group’s mental-health score is -9.1.
• Thirty-three per cent of respondents do not want employer-mandated vaccination policies. This group’s mental-health score is -9.7.
• Twenty per cent of respondents are uncertain about employer-mandated vaccination policies. This group’s mental-health score is -12.5.

Comments from global leader and senior vice president, research and total wellbeing, Paula Allen
“The pandemic created a lot of fear and uncertainly and right now we are seeing new fears and uncertainties as we are planning to return to the workplace. As employers are considering their return-to-workplace plans and policies, they should be aware that employees need to understand the consideration and support for their wellbeing as a part of the plan, and the tangible actions the employer is taking and that they can take.”

The full Canadian LifeWorks Mental Health Index™ report can be found here. This month, the report includes additional insights on the impact of remote work on mental strain, reasons for missed time from work due to illness, employees’ ideal work situations and more.

About the Mental Health Index™
The monthly survey by LifeWorks was conducted through an online survey in English and French from June 30 to July 12, 2021, with 3,000 respondents in Canada. All respondents reside in Canada and were employed within the last six months. The data has been statistically weighted to ensure the regional and gender composition of the sample reflect this population. The Mental Health Index™ is published monthly, beginning April 2020, and compares against benchmark data collected in 2017, 2018, 2019.

About LifeWorks
LifeWorks is a world leader in providing digital and in-person solutions that support the total wellbeing of individuals. We deliver a personalized continuum of care that helps our clients improve the lives of their people and by doing so, improve their business.

ID-CORP, ID-MH, ID-CAD