Nearly One-Quarter of Canadians Report That Their Working Life Has Worsened Throughout the Pandemic

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 Canadians for the 20^th consecutive month.

Key findings:

• Overall mental-health score of -10.0 compared to the pre-pandemic benchmark, a slight improvement from the previous month.
• Nearly one-quarter (23 per cent) of Canadians reported that their working life has worsened when compared to before the pandemic. This group has a mental-health score more than 11 points below the national average.

Canadians working exclusively at physical workplaces are reporting significantly worsened working lives, impacting mental health:

• Twenty-three per cent of Canadians working exclusively at physical workplaces reported that their working lives have worsened when compared to before the pandemic. This group has a mental-health score of -21.1, more than 11 points below the national average.
• Individuals working exclusively from home are three times more likely than individuals working exclusively at physical workplaces to report an improvement in their working lives.
• Individuals splitting their time between home and physical workplaces are nearly twice as likely to report an improvement in their working lives than individuals working exclusively at physical workplaces.

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Comments from president and chief executive officer, Stephen Liptrap

“The line between work and home life continues to be increasingly thin, regardless of employees’ working environment. As work makes up a substantial portion of Canadians’ lives, the importance of the work environment and relationship to one’s wellbeing should not be underestimated. It’s also important to remember that this time of year is already a challenging one for many. This is often the time of the year when the need for counselling, financial consultation and other employee assistance program services become more acute.”

Despite wider adoption of digital/video mental-health support, almost half of Canadians want in-person support:

• Thirty-seven per cent of working Canadians indicate a preference for in-person mental-health support.
• Another 12 per cent of respondents indicate a preference for a combination of in-person and digital support.
• Twenty-five per cent of those surveyed do not have a preference for how they access support.
• The remaining 26 per cent indicate a preference for video, digital, telephonic or other modality.

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

“Having a choice in how mental-health support is provided is critical. While video and digital mental health is highly effective, and has opened the opportunity for support to a wider group, we can not forget the value of in-person support as an option. Ensuring the right fit between the service and the individual is a significant factor in getting the best outcomes.”

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