Sleep, mental health, finances, and physical health all worsened year over year
Sleep quality has worsened over the past year for 38 percent of Canadian employees, alongside 35 percent reporting a decline in mental health, 35 percent whose financial circumstances have deteriorated, and 30 percent reporting worse physical health.
Those results come from the 2026 state of workplace well-being report, a Leger survey commissioned by virtual care provider Dialogue Health Technologies Inc.
Dialogue said in announcing the findings that every one of those measures fell year over year, with the mental health figure up from 30 percent in 2025, physical health up from 21 percent, sleep up from 26 percent, and financial health up from 29 percent.
Only 21 percent of employees feel energized, the report found, and 1 in 2 are experiencing burnout or repeated cycles of burnout and recovery.
Nearly 8 in 10 say their well-being has affected their ability to work.
The report puts reduced productivity from health and well-being challenges at 74 percent of employees, who miss an average of five workdays a year for the same reasons.
Among employees with workplace benefits, the report found, 67 percent used them in the past year, while 20 percent were very satisfied with the experience.
Time constraints, cost, long wait times, and difficulty finding the right provider push employees to delay care, manage on their own, or keep working while unwell.
Asked what makes benefits feel effective, 45 percent named affordable or good coverage, 39 percent named ease of access, 32 percent named clarity about what is available, and 22 percent named timely support and short wait times.
Earlier support catches issues while they are easier to address, according to Marc Robin, medical director at Dialogue.
Care has to be "easy to access, clinically grounded, and continuous rather than one-time interactions that leave people to manage the next steps on their own," Robin said in the company's release announcing the report.
Engagement and morale and retention each rank among HR leaders' top priorities at 49 percent, the report found, while 28 percent describe employee well-being as a central strategic priority within their organization.
Cost of living, burnout, caregiving, and sleep are among the pressures least addressed by traditional benefits portfolios, according to the report, which puts the share of employees facing weight management challenges at 4 in 10.
Regular, actionable insights from a health and wellness provider reach 31 percent of HR leaders.
Organizations need evidence that benefits programs affect productivity, cited by 91 percent, retention at 88 percent, employee satisfaction at 86 percent, cost and claims at 85 percent, return on investment (ROI) at 81 percent, leaves of absence at 79 percent, and utilization and engagement at 77 percent.
Leger senior vice-president Luc Dumont said in the Dialogue release that the survey shows a "year-over-year decline" across several dimensions of employee well-being.
Dumont said employers need to understand where employees are struggling outside work as well as in it.
"Many employers are already investing in a wide range of benefits and resources, but more doesn't necessarily mean better, and needs can vary considerably from one employee to another and evolve over time," said Taline Karagopian, human resources advisor at Léger, in the same release.
The report tells employers to list their workforce's top five strain drivers and check them against what their portfolio covers, and to ask current and prospective providers whether they can show outcomes rather than usage.
