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would you trade a 10 per cent raise for more wellness support at work?

24% of the employees surveyed for the mental health index by lifeworks would pass up more pay for better mental health services.

by karen hawthorne

published sep 28, 2022

3 minute read

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3 minute read

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workplace culture also played an important role in mental health

survey data shows that the culture of the workplace is strongly tied to the mental health of the employees. getty

in a tight labour market where attracting and retaining talent is a challenge, companies want to be known as excellent places to work. but a new survey of canadians’ mental health reveals that four out of 10 of us say there’s a significant gap between workplace image versus the reality.

the mental health index by lifeworks also found that negative workplace culture affects mental health and leads to three times less productivity per year than positive work environments. it’s a lose-lose situation for workers and employers.

“long-term business success is dependent on creating a strong, inclusive culture where all team members can bring their whole selves to work, while feeling supported and appreciated. the data is clear that when organizations prioritize a culture that supports total well-being, they will see stronger business results,” telus health ceo michael dingle said in a statement, adding that businesses need to do more than simply say they have a positive working environment.

lifeworks, a health technology provider that’s part of telus health, conducted the online survey of 3,000 respondents in canada from aug. 4 to 12, 2022 who were employed within the last six months. its mental health index, published monthly beginning in april 2020, is based on a scoring system that turns individual responses into point values.

workplace culture determines mental health

higher point values are linked to better mental health and less mental health risk. scores between 0 to 49 indicate distress levels, those between 50 to 79 correspond with strain levels, whiles scores between 80 to 100 show optimal levels of mental health. benchmark data was collected in 2017, 2018, 2019.

according to lifeworks, there are nine specific indicators that contribute to workplace culture: collaborative, flexible, relaxed, inclusive, innovative, motivating, respectful, safe and supportive. those workplaces where people can check all the boxes have employees with significantly higher mental health scores than the national average, compared to those who describe their workplace culture as counter to any of these nine indicators.

in fact, those who rated their workplace culture as demotivating, had a mental health score of 50.0, more than 15 points below the national average. nine per cent of respondents said their workplace culture does not promote inclusiveness, which contributed to a mental health score of 56.8, more than eight points below the national average. and for the 38 per cent who reported a significant difference between the culture their workplace claims to have and the reality, their mental health score was 58.7, more than six points below the national average.

paul allen, lifeworks global leader and senior vice-president, research and total well-being, said in a statement that while providing and promoting mental health services is important to employee mental health — in fact, 24 per cent of survey respondents said that better support for their well-being is more important than a 10 per cent salary increase — the survey data shows that the culture of the workplace is also strongly tied to good mental health scores.

and in case you are wondering how canada is faring in terms of its mental health score, we’re coming in at 65.1 points out of 100, a slight increase from july’s score of 65.0 points and almost the same as the score in august 2021.

karen hawthorne is a toronto-based writer.

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karen hawthorne

karen hawthorne worked for six years as a digital editor for the national post, contributing articles on health, business, culture and travel for affiliated newspapers across canada. she now writes from her home office in toronto and takes breaks to bounce with her son on the backyard trampoline and walk bingo, her bull terrier.

would you trade a 10 per cent raise for more wellness support at work?

24% of the employees surveyed for the mental health index by lifeworks would pass up more pay for better mental health services.

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workplace culture determines mental health

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would you trade a 10 per cent raise for more wellness support at work?

24% of the employees surveyed for the mental health index by lifeworks would pass up more pay for better mental health services.

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