Two-thirds (65 per cent) of Canadian workers say their manager’s support for work-life balance hasn’t changed over the past year, while a quarter (24 per cent) say it has improved and 12 per cent say their manager is less supportive, according to Telus Health’s latest mental-health index.
The survey, which polled roughly 3,000 employees, found the average mental-health score was 63.2, down from 64 in June. Anxiety (55.5) continued to be the lowest mental-health sub-score, followed by isolation (59.6), depression (61.4), work productivity (61.6), optimism (64.9) and financial risk (67.4). General psychological health (71.4) remained the most favourable mental-health measure.
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More than a third (35 per cent) of workers have a high mental-health risk, while 43 per cent have a moderate mental-health risk and 22 per cent have a low mental-health risk.
While 55 per cent of workers believe leaders in their organization can maintain a healthy work-life balance, nearly half (45 per cent) said they’re unsure or disagree.
Two-fifths (39 per cent) of workers described their employer’s support for financial well-being as fair or poor, while 32 per cent described their employer’s support for mental well-being as poor and 29 per cent said the same about their employer’s support for physical health.
Employees who described their employer’s well-being support as poor reported an average mental-health score 29 points lower than those with excellent support. Notably, 24 per cent said they don’t know if their employer offers an employee assistance program.
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