Stress In the Workplace (Ontario)

(Toronto, ON) May 17, 2000 - A new, nationwide survey on healthcare sponsored by Aventis Pharma found that 51 per cent of Ontarians with an employee health benefit plan say they face "a great deal of stress at work". This is four per cent higher than the national average of 47 per cent.

Among other key findings, the survey revealed that 27 per cent of Ontarians said that stress in the workplace has made them physically ill (26% nationally) and 11 per cent said they book more time off work because of stress (11% nationally).

Forty-five per cent of respondents from Ontario said their employers are not doing enough to help their employees deal with stress. This is slightly higher than the national average of 41 per cent.

"This year's survey establishes a link between workplace stress and employee absenteeism," said Sanjiv Sharma, Director, Health Policy, Strategic Planning, Aventis Pharma. "It clearly shows that stress generates significant costs for employers in terms of loss of productivity." Dr. Brian Bexton, psychiatrist, added: "Stress can degenerate into physical or mental problems and the prevention of stress in the workplace should be made a priority in order to avoid these costly diseases."

In addition to the findings on stress in the workplace, the survey revealed that all private health plan benefits are highly valued. Drug coverage is the most important, with 94 per cent of plan members saying it is either somewhat (23%) or very (71%) important.

This reflects Ontarians' attitudes to drug plans, with 96 per cent saying that it is an important part of an employee health benefit plan. This year's survey also detected for the first time a shift in plan members' attitudes towards the public healthcare system.

Still seen by most (81%) as providing medical services of good quality, a strong majority (71%) now believe the system has worsened in the past two years. Provincially, 84 per cent feel the healthcare system provides services of good quality and 72 per cent of respondents said that they believe the system has worsened in the past two years.

"Aventis Pharma's objective in sponsoring this survey is to give the close to nine million Canadians who are members of company health benefit plans a voice as well as to give plan managers accurate information on the needs of their customers," stated Michel Giroux, Vice-President, External Affairs and Public Relations at Aventis Pharma. "Hopefully, the study's findings will arm plan managers with useful and accurate information which they can then use to improve health plans for the benefit of consumers."

Plan Members are Satisfied With Their Coverage

The survey found that most (68%) Canadian plan members say their health benefit plans meet their needs either "very" or "extremely" well. In Ontario, 72 per cent report that their plans meet their needs either "extremely" (22%) or "very" well (50%).

"Despite the challenge of managing private plans under continuous cost pressures, employers and other plan sponsors have been successful in maintaining consumer's satisfaction levels of 68 per cent," said Mr. Sharma.

Asked if they want access to new relatively expensive research-based medications, 83 per cent of Ontarians say they believe it is important that "employee health plans cover any new drugs that are available regardless of their cost".

Seventy-nine per cent of respondents from Ontario said they would also be willing to pay higher premiums to guarantee that their health benefit plan covers these new medications. This is slightly higher than the national average of 75 per cent.

The survey found that amongst plan members, there is no consensus on how the public healthcare system should be funded.

When offered the choice between the current taxpayer-funded system and a system funded by a combination of taxes and user fees, 49 per cent of respondents from Ontario chose the status quo and 50 per cent endorsed a system which combines taxpayer money and user fees. Nationally, 44 per cent believed the system should be entirely funded by taxpayers' dollars and 55 per cent would like to see a combined funding plan.

More Stress Among Women and Public Sector Employees

The survey indicates a relationship between stress and demographics such as gender, province and workplace environment.

According to the survey's findings, there is a higher incidence of job-related stress in Alberta (53%), British Columbia (52%) and Ontario (51%), and among women (53%), public sector employees (53%), people aged 35-54 (49%), divorced or widowed individuals (54%), university graduates (50%) and high- income earners (50%). At the opposite end of the spectrum, there is a lower incidence of work-related stress in Quйbec (39%), and among men (41%), the self-employed (38%), people aged 55 or older (41%), individuals who are married or living in common law (44%), high school graduates (43%) and those earning $30,000 or less annually (42%).

When asked what causes their job-related stress, Ontarians indicated that workload (46%) and balancing work and home/personal life (36%) are their primary sources of stress. Meeting personal financial responsibilities (35%) and the workplace environment in general (29%) follow as sources of stress.

The Angus Reid Group conducted telephone interviews across Canada between Feburary 10, 2000 and March 2, 2000, with a random sample of 1,506 primary group insurance plan members who had a medical benefit component to their plan. With such a sample, one can say with 95 per cent certainty that the results are within plus or minus 2.5 percentage points of what they would have been had the entire population of group insurance plan members been polled.

Aventis Pharma Inc. is the Canadian pharmaceutical business of Aventis S.A., one of the world's leading life sciences companies focusing on two core areas - pharmaceuticals and agriculture.

Aventis Pharma is dedicated to treating and preventing human disease through the discovery, development, manufacture and sale of innovative pharmaceutical products aimed at satisfying unmet medical needs. The corporate headquarters of Aventis Pharma is in Frankfurt, Germany. The Canadian operations employ 690 people and are headquartered in Laval, Quйbec.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Michel Tremblay
Aventis Pharma Inc.
(514) 956-4098

Stephanie Engel
Shandwick International
(416) 964-6444 (ext. 415)