.
According to LifeWorks’ monthly Mental Health Index, Canadians struggle to disconnect from work at the end of the day.
The report found that 28% of Canadians struggle to disconnect from work after regular work hours. As a result, the mental health score reached nearly nine points below the national average. Furthermore, the Index highlights that those under 40 years old are 70% more likely to not disconnect than older colleagues.
Here are the core report’s findings about Canadians employees:
- 51% of Canadians struggle to disconnect from work because of too many tasks; 25% because managers contact them after work hours; and 23% receive work-related questions from colleagues at the end of the day.
- Most Canadian workers are currently experiencing burnout, lack of concentration (27%) and motivation (35%). Over two in five Canadians feel exhausted at the end of the day. This group records a mental health score 13 points below the national average.
Most Canadian companies are keeping hybrid and remote arrangements even post-COVID. As LifeWorks President and CEO Stephen Liptrap states: “Employers are starting to realize that the mental health impact of pandemic disruption will be with us for quite some time. As the worksite is now overlapped with home, the benefits of flexibility can easily be countered by lack of separation from work.”
LifeWorks’ Mental Health Index for March 2022 was down -10.5 points, a constant data since the pandemic’s beginning. Companies don’t have efficient strategies to help employees disconnect from work, even allowing more flexibility. As a result, mental health issues impact performance and productivity, asking for better remote work strategies.