March 28, 2024, from Benefits Canada
The pursuit of well-being has become a common objective among Canadians in today’s fast-paced society, especially at work. The current state of employee well-being in Canada is revealed by a report written by Canadian market research company Environics Research on behalf of Dialogue Health Technologies Inc.
As per the survey, 47% of Canadian workers strongly desire to improve their overall health and they plan to utilize workplace benefits to accomplish this. This figure highlights the workforce’s increasing awareness of and emphasis on health.
The rising focus on well-being is further exemplified in the survey findings that 71% of employees have raised their level of health consciousness in the last several years.However, a troubling tendency shows up: a third of Canadians have unfavourable opinions about their current level of well-being, especially when it comes to their sleep, financial security, and physical and mental health.
The participants have reported that there are several obstacles to enhancing well-being. The primary hindrance mentioned is insufficient time, as stated by 45% of respondents. As a close second, 41% of respondents expressed a lack of motivation, while 39% mentioned financial limitations.
The study also explores how workplace benefits are perceived and how organizations promote employee well-being. Unbelievably, half of the respondents believe that their total benefits package does not sufficiently address their demands for well-being. Further, only 18% of respondents think their supervisors are qualified to identify and assist with mental health concerns, while 40% of respondents think their organization does not emphasize employee mental health.
However, a comforting majority of HR professionals (86%) recognize that their companies are committed to the mental health and well-being of their employees. In spite of this, almost three-quarters (70%) of respondents state that they have run into financial difficulties when trying to improve employee perks, suggesting a possible mismatch between goals and actions.
The underutilization of resources, such as employee assistance programs (EAPs), is one startling finding from the report with 53% of workers acknowledging that they had never used their EAP, which may indicate a lack of accessibility or awareness.
The vice president of health and wellness at Environics, Ahsan Sadiq, stresses the significance of taking proactive measures to address these issues. According to Sadiq, “Employer-paid services—properly catered to employee needs—can help improve well-being, job satisfaction, work-life balance, as well as improve chances of attracting top talent.”
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