Only 26% of Canadians say their workplace manages stress well; half want that fixed
Half of Canadian workers want their employer to do more to help them manage stress, and only about a quarter say their workplace does it well.
According to a survey commissioned by Sodexo Canada, the gap points to where wellbeing programs may be missing the mark.
The Workplace Brain Health survey, conducted by Leger, found that 49 percent of workers rank stress management among the top three supports they expect from their workplace.
Just 26 percent said their employer currently provides strong support there, and 50 percent named stress management as the area they most want improved, the widest gap between expectation and experience in the survey.
The findings arrived with a Sodexo whitepaper, Creating Workplace Environments that Support Brain Health, released as more federal employees return to the office.
The whitepaper organizes brain health around nine interconnected pillars: food and nutrition, physical environment, social connection, purpose and meaning, physical activity, sleep, stress management, mental fitness, and medical and preventive care.
For plan sponsors weighing where benefits dollars go, the survey suggests employees value some supports more than others.
One-third of employees (33 percent) said their workplace effectively supports social connection, the most recognized area of support.
Purpose and meaning also scored relatively well, with 39 percent calling it a top priority and 31 percent saying their employer delivers on it.
Foundational supports lagged.
Food and nutrition and the physical work environment were seen as important but underdeveloped, per the survey, which Sodexo said signals room for a more integrated approach to wellbeing.
Age shaped priorities too: 31 percent of workers aged 18 to 34 named nutrition as something they want their workplace to improve.
The whitepaper sets out the financial stakes employers and insurers face.
Mental health conditions cost the global economy an estimated US$5tn a year, a figure projected to reach US$16tn by 2030.
It also cited Gallup data putting the cost of disengaged employees at US$8.8tn worldwide, or 9 percent of global GDP.
Employees expect their workplaces to support them "with a holistic approach," said Tanya Cerniuk, chief executive of Sodexo Canada.
Brain health is central to their resilience, productivity and business growth, she added.
The whitepaper also argues that the physical workplace itself is a lever, citing natural light, air quality, acoustic design, temperature control and plant life as measurable influences on cognitive performance.
Organizations can narrow the gap between what employees value and what they receive by aligning daily touchpoints such as food services, workplace design and experience programs.
