The article, “Bummed out at work? Join the club”, by Tavia Grant and Wallace Immen and based on a survey commissioned by Desjardins Financial Security, suggests Canadians are increasingly stressed on the job, leading to rising levels of burnout and depression. “Stress, burnout and depression create huge fallout in the workplace that far exeeeds taking a sick day here and there,” says Dr. Taylor Alexander, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Mental Health Association and the report’s co-author. Mary Ann Baynton, director of Mental Health Works says, “Employees should be able to face immediate deadlines and stressful workloads on an occasional basis, but since the 1990’s we’ve made these the new normal. If we keep pushing ourselves to the absolute peak of performance and anxiety with no let-up, we’re all going to get sick. Organizations that don’t take this message to heart are going to pay the consequences, along with their employees.”
On a positive note, the number of companies asking for information on mental-health issues has increased by a staggering 400% over the past two years suggesting that employers are actively seeking information to improve the work place and productivity. Employer’s attention to a healthy workplace environment was further substantiated when two-thirds of the workers that were surveyed said their employer’s senior management takes care of employee wellness.
In light of this survey, my advice to you in your job search is to do your due dilligence when it comes to investigating potential employers. Professional networking sites such as Linkedin are excellent resources in seeking company information and employee references.
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