But only 1 in 4 seeing strong support in that area
A new survey shows stress management support as the clearest gap between what Canadian employees want from their workplaces and what they're actually getting.
The survey of 715 employed Canadians between June 12 and 14 found that nearly half of respondents — 49 percent — ranked stress management among the top three supports they expect from their employer.
Yet only 26 percent said their workplace currently provides strong support in that area, and half of respondents identified it as the top area they'd like to see improved.
Positive pillars for brain health
However, other pillars fared better: About a third of employees (33 percent) said their workplace effectively supports social connection, the highest-rated area in the survey, found Sodexo Canada.
Purpose and meaning also scored relatively well: 39 percent of respondents named it a top priority, and 31 percent said their workplace supports it effectively.
Food and nutrition emerged as a generational concern, with 31 percent of employees aged 18 to 34 identifying it as an area needing improvement, according to Sodexo Canada.
Sodexo Canada CEO Tanya Cerniuk said the findings reflect a broader shift in expectations: "We know that brain health is central to employee resilience, productivity and business growth. And employees expect their workplaces to support them with a holistic approach.”
Supporting brain health at work
The survey was released alongside a Sodexo whitepaper, Creating Workplace Environments that Support Brain Health, produced in partnership with Social Impact Partners' Global Brain Health Initiative. The paper outlines nine factors researchers link to brain health: food and nutrition, physical environment, social connection, purpose and meaning, physical activity, sleep, stress management, mental fitness, and medical and preventive care.
The whitepaper cites external estimates on the scale of the issue: mental health conditions cost the global economy an estimated $5 trillion annually, a figure projected to reach $16 trillion by 2030, and disengaged employees are estimated to cost organizations $8.8 trillion worldwide — about nine percent of global GDP, according to figures the whitepaper attributes to the World Economic Forum and Gallup, respectively.
The paper also references a 2024 Lancet Commission report estimating that up to 45 percent of dementia cases could potentially be prevented or delayed through modifiable lifestyle factors.
