Despite higher stress levels in pandemic, employees appreciate employers supports
Judging by the results of the latest survey, public service employees are feeling positive about their work experience during the pandemic.
Overall, 68 per cent indicated that their workplace was psychologically healthy, up from 61 per cent in 2019, according to a report from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.
And 81 per cent of government workers said that their department or agency was doing a good job of raising awareness of mental health in the workplace, up from 73 per cent in 2019.
As for the information they received from their department or agency about the pandemic, respondents say it was clear and easy to understand (78 per cent), provided in a timely manner (76 per cent) and relevant to the work they do (74 per cent).
Focus on mental health
Seventy per cent of government workers say that senior managers in their department or agency took adequate steps to support their mental health during the pandemic in 2020, found the survey.
More than eight in 10 (84 per cent) feel that their department or agency effectively communicated the mental health services and resources that were available to them, and 81 per cent say they were satisfied with the measures their department or agency took to protect their physical health and safety during the pandemic.
A further 69 per cent say they would feel comfortable sharing concerns about their mental health with their immediate supervisor.
One in five (18 per cent) Canadian employers have raised the maximums for their psychological service benefits since the pandemic began, according to a survey released earlier this year.
Stress levels rise
Despite the positives, 18 per cent of employees indicated that they had high or very high levels of work-related stress, up from 17 per cent in 2019. Also, 31 per cent indicate that they felt emotionally drained after their workday, up from 29 per cent in 2019, found the survey of 188,786 employees in 87 federal departments and agencies conducted between Nov. 30, 2020 to Jan. 29, 2021.
The top two sources of stress are heavy workload (26 per cent, up from 24 per cent in 2019) and not having enough employees to do the work (26 per cent, down from 29 per cent in 2019).
The proportion of employees experiencing stress because of pay or other compensation-related issues (19 per cent) was much lower in 2020 than in 2019 (28 per cent), found the government.
More than one in 10 (11 per cent also) indicate that the stress of the pandemic was negatively impacting their ability to carry out day‑to‑day work responsibilities.
Other stress factors for government workers in 2020 include:
- risk of exposure to COVID‑19 (22 per cent)
- balancing work and caregiving responsibilities (21 per cent)
- feeling disconnected from colleagues (17 per cent)
- difficulty accessing work tools or network (13 per cent)
While many employers are aware that employees are suffering from burnout, they’re not necessarily responding, according to another report.
