More than one-third of these employees report higher rates of burnout: report
Canadians’ mental health has been on the low end for an extended period of time, and workers in mid-career are worse off compared to the rest. This is hurting employers, according to a recent report.
Canadians’ average score has stayed low over the last six months, at 45.1 out of 100, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Well-Being Index (WHO-5).
“Anything below 50 is significant in terms of mood. It reflects a low mood that should be screened for symptoms of depression,” says Marc Robin, medical director at Dialogue, in an interview with Canadian HR Reporter.
“The biggest drop in mental well-being is in the 40-year-old group, which has decreased by eight percent since the last report just six months ago,” adds Robin.
Pressures on ‘sandwich generation’
This group, often referred to as the “sandwich generation,” is uniquely pressured—balancing demanding careers, raising children, and caring for ageing parents, he explains.
“They have increasing responsibilities, but they are also having to deal with kids in school and ageing parents at the same time. So this is kind of the perfect storm in a lot of ways between external factors and work-related factors that create that unbalanced condition that leads to a much higher risk and prevalence of burnout and decrease in productivity."
A decrease in mood directly correlates with productivity, both in terms of presenteeism and absenteeism, Robin notes: “Every decrease by one point [on the well-being index] is about an hour of productivity per employee.”
Among these people, 15 per cent are reducing their work hours, 10 per cent are declining work opportunities, and 26 per cent are taking a leave of absence.
More than a third of these employees also report higher rates of burnout, according to the report.
“Mid-career employees are a vital part of organisations, combining experience, corporate knowledge, and productivity while leading teams, as well as balancing caregiving at home,” says Robin. “This convergence increases risk: caregiver-employees report increased burnout and are almost twice as likely to have mental-health-related absences, underscoring the need for employer support.”
Caregiving responsibilities are holding back workers’ careers’ according to a previous report.
How to support ‘sandwich generation’ workers
Robin cautions that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. However, accessible, portable mental health support is essential.
“You need a solution to support mental health and wellness for employees that is easily accessible and portable,” he says.
“Virtual mental health services are key for that generation but also for the super busy generations between kids and their parents and work, where they don’t have time to make an appointment in a clinic in three weeks—they want help now and they want it served to them digitally.”
Amid rising disability claims, employers are rethinking their absence management policies, according to a previous report.
