Is your job making you sick?
Globe and Mail
Stressed-out Canadians are putting work first, exacerbating mental health problems that affect their productivity and well-being, according to a survey released today.
Instead of taking the time to recover, Canadians suffering from stress and mental health problems often keep going until the point of burnout, according to a poll of 1,500 Canadians, conducted on behalf of Desjardins Financial Security.
Stress and mental health problems now account for 40 per cent of long-term disability claims, 35-million lost workdays a year and 40 per cent of turnover, according to the report.
The triggers for these rising stress levels are many: for 83 per cent of those surveyed, wireless technology is either maintaining of increasing stress levels because employees feel they are electronically connected to work round-the-clock. Financial worries and work-life conflict also contribute to rising stress levels.
"Financial concerns are at the root of the work-life imbalance, which is a source of stress at both home and the job," according to the report.
"On the home-front, 44 per cent of respondents said money issues were the main source of stress, anxiety and depression. At work, the potential hardship caused by losing pay is why many employees don't take the necessary time off to recover from health problems."
The poll, conducted by SOM Surveys, Opinion Polls and Marketing, found that over the past two years, 21 per cent of those surveyed reported that they had experienced various physical health problems caused by mental health issues.
"Of this group, 62 per cent maintained regular work schedules, but made sacrifices in their personal lives," according to the report.
In choosing work over their health, these employees became disconnected from family and friends — those they would otherwise count on the get them through "their darkest hours."
One of the major contributors to rising stress levels is the intrusion of work on home life, said Toronto psychiatrist Irvin Wolkoff, in commenting on the survey results.
"The separation of personal and work time does not exist any more," Dr. Wolkoff said.
"We live in a society that pushes people away from close, interpersonal relationships — all in the pursuit of making more money," he said.
The survey results are alarming, not just because of the time lost because of stress and mental health issues, because of the productivity lost when ill employees report for work, said Alain Thauvette, senior vice-president of group and business insurance for Desjardins.
In particular, employers should consider the impact that technology is having on their employees because, according to the survey, it is clearly taking a toll, said Mr. Thauvette.
Dr. Wolkoff added that more employers are taking work home with them, or living their lives on-call, because they are tied to the office by cell phones and computers. Only 17 per cent of those surveyed said the technological ability to work any time, any where made their lives less stressful.
"It is clear that many people are becoming compulsive about taking their workload home with them," Dr. Wolkoff said during a webcast today.
"This is a frightening finding — the intent of these devices was to help people do their jobs better and give them more leisure time to recover from stress," he said.
