But employees tougher on those suffering than employers
One in three (33 per cent of) Canadian employees are now suffering or have suffered from a mental health condition such as depression or an anxiety disorder, according to a survey by Morneau Shepell.
Another 27 per cent said they are experiencing significant symptoms of stress, found the poll of employees, employers and physicians.
More than one-half (58 per cent) of employees said their productivity has been negatively impacted by stress at work, while 45 per cent revealed they have thought about leaving their job due to workplace stress and its impact on them.
At the same time, almost one-third (31 per cent) of employees have taken time off work because of workplace stress and one-quarter (25 per cent) have become ill in the last six months due to workplace-related stress.
"Employers are beginning to understand that mental health is not the concern of a few, but an issue that impacts the workplace overall," said Alan Torrie, president and CEO of Morneau Shepell. "There has been tremendous progress in the past few years in many workplaces. But there is still much to be done in our society and long way to go to make all workplaces more psychologically healthy and to encourage people to reach out for the help they need."
Productivity
Employees believe overwhelmingly that a psychologically healthy workplace is a productive one, with 90 per cent of employees indicating that managing employee mental wellness is important for employee productivity, found the survey.
Furthermore, 83 per cent believe that stress itself is not universally negative as workplace stress can be positive or negative depending on how the workplace supports and responds to the employee. But only 56 per cent of employees believe their organization supports mental wellness on the job.
"The survey revealed some disconnects between employer and employee perceptions on how mental wellness is being handled in the workplace. Employers generally believe they are doing a better job at addressing psychological health in the workplace than their employees believe they are," said Paula Allen, vice-president of research and integrative solutions at Morneau Shepell. "Our research also shows that employees recognize the business value in a mentally healthy workplace. Workplace support is perceived as critical to how stress is viewed by employees, and its impact on them. This also impacts productivity and, ultimately, can influence the success of an organization."
Stigma remains a barrier
Almost three-quarters (71 per cent) of employees expressed concern about workplace stigma around mental health, 65 per cent indicated self-stigma and more than half (53 per cent) indicated concerns of stigma from their physician.
In many instances, employees are actually tougher on individuals with mental illness than their employers, and some significantly negative attitudes toward mental illness remain prevalent, found Morneau Shepell. One in five employees (19 per cent) believes that whether someone becomes mentally ill is fully within their control (compared to 12 per cent of employers).
Physician advice
When polled, almost every physician respondent (99 per cent) indicated that work issues have a role in the mental health issues they see on a regular basis. Similarly, 98 per cent said they believe the workplace has a role in worsening health.
When asked what employers could do to foster psychologically healthy workplaces, the number one recommendation among physicians was for better workplace communication and social support, with the second highest being the availability of counselling and guidance. These two factors are more important for their patients than reduced workload or time off work, they said.
