Nearly two-fifths (38 per cent) of Canadian workers say they don’t feel — or have never felt — supported by their employer, according to Telus Health’s latest mental-health index.
The survey, which polled more than 3,000 employees, found the average mental-health score for Canadian workers was 64.6, unchanged from April. Among respondents who said they don’t feel supported by their employer, the average mental-health score was eight or more points below the national average. By comparison, nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of respondents said they receive a similar level of support from their employer as they did early in the coronavirus pandemic and this group reported an average mental-health score of 70.2.
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Less than a fifth (15 per cent) of workers indicated their employer has improved their level of mental-health and well-being support, while eight per cent said their employer’s support has decreased — these groups reported average mental-health scores of 66.3 and 52.8, respectively. Notably, managers were twice as likely as non-managers to indicate their employer has improved their level of mental-health and well-being support.
Nearly two-fifths (38 per cent) of employees said they need to collaborate with co-workers all the time and this group had an average mental-health score of 66.3, slightly higher than workers who said they don’t need to collaborate (63.3)
Anxiety (57.5) remained the lowest mental-health risk sub-score, followed by isolation (60.9), depression (62.5), work productivity (62.7), optimism (67.0) and financial risk (68.4). Despite a modest decline from the previous month, general psychological health (72) continued to be the most favourable mental-health measure.
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