Canadian Employees Seek the Flexibility to Deal With Personal Issues When Needed

LifeWorks, a leading provider of digital and in-person total wellbeing solutions, released its monthly Mental Health Index, revealing a negative mental health score among Canadian for the 21^st consecutive month. The overall mental health score for December 2021, was -10.2 compared to the pre-pandemic benchmark, a slight decline from the previous month (-10.0 in November 2021) and equal to the October 2021 score.

Working Canadians believe full flexibility for all employees would work best for their team

• Nearly two in five (38 per cent) Canadians indicate that having the option of full flexibility – regarding days, hours and location – for everyone would be the best working model for their team. This compares to 17 per cent preferring that all employees are together at the worksite and 15 per cent preferring that all employees work fully remote.
• Nearly one-third (29 per cent) of respondents report that the most important type of flexibility is having the ability to step away from work to attend to personal issues.
• When looking at other types of flexibility, 26 per cent of individuals report that hours of work is the most important and 24 per cent of individuals report that the location of work is the most important.
• Eighteen per cent indicate that the most important types of work flexibility are days of work (16 per cent) and work attire (two per cent).

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Comments from president and chief executive officer, Stephen Liptrap

“As workplace flexibility continues to grow in importance among Canadians, it is critical for employers to listen to their employees and determine how they can provide support – whether that means flexible hours for those working from home to allow time for childcare, or the ability to step away from work for an appointment or other personal matters among frontline workers. Ensuring that employees feel trusted and encouraged to balance their work and personal lives in a way that works for them is essential to fostering a workplace culture that prioritizes employee wellbeing.”

Many working Canadians believe their organization’s CEO genuinely cares about employee wellbeing

• Half (50 per cent) of Canadians believe that their organization’s CEO genuinely cares about employee wellbeing. This group has a mental health score of -4.9, more than five points above the national average.
• In contrast, 18 per cent do not believe that their organization’s CEO genuinely cares about employee wellbeing, and this group has a mental health score of -19.3, more than nine points below the national average. One-third (32 per cent) are undecided on their CEO’s position on wellbeing.
• Managers are more than 30 per cent more likely than non-managers to believe that their organization’s CEO genuinely cares about employee wellbeing.

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Comments from global leader and senior vice president, research and total wellbeing, Paula Allen

“Many organizations have made great strides in prioritizing overall employee mental health and wellbeing, however, our data suggests that half do not feel that their senior leader truly cares, even if they do. We have seen such a positive impact when leaders are visible in their support. The day-to-day experience of employees also gives the support credibility. A positive view of the use of mental health services and communications that come directly from leaders will ensure employees feel valued and appreciated by all levels of management and that their wellbeing is top of mind for their employer.”

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