Four in Five (84%) Managers and Supervisors Believe It's Part of Their Job to Intervene With Employees Who Are Showing Signs of Depression

Toronto, ON - Four in five (84%) managers and supervisors believe it's part of their job to intervene with an employee who they believe is showing signs of depression, up one point from 2007 (83%), whereas one in five (16%) say this type of intervention is not part of their job. Two-thirds (66%) say `they have a strong grasp of policies at their company regarding mental health', up 20 pts. from 2007, while another six in ten `know what to do when someone who reports to them has depression' (62%, +7 pts) or `have personally intervened with an employee who they believed was showing signs of depression' (55%, +26 pts).

Since many see it as part of their job, managers and supervisors are being trained on how to best deal with employees and situations that warrant help. One in three (31%) `have received training to help them identify and deal with employees who exhibit signs of depression', up from only 13% who received such training in 2007.

More managers and supervisors, however, would still like to receive more effective training that could have made the experience of dealing with an employee who suffers from depression better or easier. More than six in ten (63%) say having `better training to deal with this type of situation' could have made for an easier experience in dealing with depressed employees, up from a minority (45%) in 2007 who shared this sentiment. The table below outlines different suggestions managers and supervisors have provided that could have made dealing with depressed employees an easier experience:

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When it comes to dealing with health needs of employees, managers and supervisors need to use this training in order to accommodate such health needs as best they can. On the whole, however, employees and managers who are aware of employees experiencing various health circumstances or conditions say that their employer's level of accommodation has decreased since 2007. In 2012, employers are most accommodating of employees requiring a wheelchair (89%, down 2 pts. from 2007) or those requiring major surgery such as heart or cancer (88%, down 8 pts.). Employers are seen as less accommodating of employees who have anxiety or panic disorders (66%, down 5 pts.) or those who are stressed to the point of reduced productivity or requiring time off work (67%, down 3 pts.). A full list of health needs and how accommodating employers are of such needs (and the change from the 2007) can be seen below:

• Requiring the use of a wheelchair - 89% (-2 pts.)
• Requiring major surgery such as heart or cancer - 88% (-8 pts.)
• Having a visual or auditory impairment - 85% (-4 pts)
• Taking an extended leave of absence to deal with a mental health issue - 76% (-4 pts.)
• Coping with bouts of depression that may require days off - 70% (-3 pts.)
• Being stressed to the point of reduced productivity or requiring time off work - 67% (-3 pts.)
• Having anxiety or panic attacks - 66% (-5 pts.)

Many are understanding when it comes to views on dealing with those who have depression. Eight in ten (83%) employees and managers `agree' (30% strongly/53% somewhat) that `it is easier for workplaces to deal with physical disabilities than with mental health conditions', up 7 pts. from 2007, although two in ten (17%) `disagree' (4% strongly/13% somewhat) that this is the case. Another 83% (up 7 pts.) `agree' (24% strongly/59% somewhat) that workers with mental health conditions have a responsibility to self-identify since mental health conditions are not visible in the same way as other disabilities, although two in ten (17%) `disagree' (3% strongly/14% somewhat). Despite this need for depressed workers to self-identify, nine in ten (85%, up 2 pts.) `agree' (32% strongly/53% somewhat) that workers with mental health conditions can be just as productive as other workers if they have access to the right supports, although two in ten (16%) `disagree' (3% strongly/13% somewhat).

Some views towards depression, however, are less accommodating. Seven in ten (71%, up 11 pts. from 2007) `agree' (15% strongly/56% somewhat) that there needs to be a way to verify that someone is actually suffering from depression before they are given any special consideration at work, although three in ten (29%) `disagree' (6% strongly/23% somewhat). Two in ten (15%, +1 pt.) `agree' (2% strongly/13% somewhat) that people who are depressed could just snap out of it if they really wanted to, while eight in ten (84%) `disagree' (49% strongly/35% somewhat). One in ten (14%, +1 pt.) `agree' (2% strongly/12% somewhat) that people choose to be depressed. Nine in ten (86%), however, `disagree' (54% strongly/32% somewhat).

According to employees who suffer from depression, they receive different levels of support from those they are surrounded by at work. Coworkers (61%) and the direct boss/manager/supervisor (52%) are most supportive, while unions (42%) and human resources (40%) show the least amount of support. The table below outlines support levels for employees who suffer from depression from different groups in the workplace:

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With managers and supervisors' increasingly aware that intervention and training to handle mental health needs in the workplace is an important aspect of their job, there seems to have been some positive results coming from this awareness. Although one in five (22%) state feelings of depression either through clinical (14%) or self-diagnosis (8%), this number has decreased slightly from the one-quarter (26%; 18% clinically diagnosed/8% self-diagnosed) who were surveyed on this topic in 2007.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between July 18th to 24th, 2012, on behalf of Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace. For this survey a sample of 6,624 Canadians from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. This includes a total of 4,307 employees and 2,317 managers/supervisors. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of +/- 1.7 percentage points for employees and 2.3 percentage points for managers and supervisors. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error. For more information about credibility intervals, please see the appendix or visit the Ipsos website at http://ipsos-na.com/dl/pdf/research/public-affairs/IpsosPA_CredibilityIntervals.pdf.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Sean Simpson
Associate Vice President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
416.572.4474
[email protected]

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