Nearly half (48 per cent) of Canadian employees say job security and stability have the greatest positive impact on their health and productivity, according to a new survey by Sodexo.
It found among Canadian employees, 37 per cent cited flexible work arrangements as having the greatest impact, followed by a supportive work culture (26 per cent), social interaction with colleagues (24 per cent) and opportunities for growth and learning (22 per cent).
Key drivers of resilience and productivity identified in the report included personal job satisfaction, healthy meeting culture and supportive leadership. The majority (84 per cent) of Canadian respondents felt their employer supports their health and happiness through workplace design, services or culture. Those under 55 were significantly more likely to report feeling strong support (44 per cent vs. 33 per cent over 55).
Read: Half of U.S. workers say employee well-being supports healthy workplace culture: survey
More than half (58 per cent) rated their overall physical and mental health as good or excellent, a third described their overall well-being as fair and one in 10 reported it as poor or very poor. Notably, residents of Quebec stood out with 21 per cent rating their health and happiness at work as excellent, compared to just 14 per cent in the rest of Canada.
Globally, 42 per cent of employees said they want to return to the office to spend more time with colleagues. Nearly half (48 per cent) said they’re grappling with burnout and only 21 per cent reported feeling engaged, costing an estimated US$438 billion in 2024.
Global findings also showed a strong correlation between employee health, happiness and business success — with well-designed workplaces and people-centric services emerging as central factors. Happy employees were 13 per cent more productive.
The survey also found a low-noise environment, clean air, comfortable temperature, natural lighting, proper workspace equipment or seating, opportunities for movement and access to nutritious food all contribute to workplace well-being.
Read: Work-life balance driving Canadian employees’ happiness: survey