While One in Five (19%) of Canadian Employees Feel at Psychological Risk in Their Workplace, New Tool Suggests that Three in Ten (29%) May Be

Toronto, ON - Three in ten (29%) employed Canadians may be experiencing psychologically unsafe and unhealthy workplaces according to a groundbreaking new study produced by Simon Fraser University's Consortium for Organizational Mental Healthcare (COMH; www.comh.ca), a not-for-profit research centre in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. The study was commissioned by the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace and this survey was conducted by Ipsos Reid.

The survey of some 6,800 Canadian workers suggests that while 19% of Canadian workers may subjectively believe they are in an unhealthy and unsafe psychosocial workplace, the figure rises by 10 full points to 29% when a newly developed set of 12 risk factor assessments is applied.

This is the largest and most significant Canadian research to date that evaluates levels of psychosocial risk faced by employed Canadians at their place of work, with the findings used to help inform the design of a new online resource titled "Guarding Minds @ Work (GM@W): A Workplace Guide to Psychological Safety & Health" (www.guardingmindsatwork.ca).

The study is part of a new, innovative online tool that will enable workers and their workplaces to self-evaluate along 12 distinct psychosocial risk factors ("PSRs") in order to assess, understand, and proactively address organizational issues they may be facing. The evaluation is based on sixty (60) questions arrived at through a review of the empirical and legal literature, as well as extensive consultation with a wide range of workplace experts, stakeholders and participants.

Many Workers Under-Report the Conditions of the Workplace...

An example of the insight yielded by the research is that one in five (19%) Canadian workers reject the subjective premise that "Overall, my current workplace is a psychologically safe and healthy environment to work in" (two thirds - 65% - agree and 16% are neutral on their assessment). However, according to the scoring of the 12 PSRs, there are three in ten (29%) who fall into categories of serious (4%) or significant (25%) concerns in terms of the psychological risks associated with their workplace. And while many of the workers who fall in these categories do in fact recognize that their workplace is not psychologically safe and healthy (nearly half of these, 45%, disagree that their workplace is a psychologically safe and healthy one), more concerning are the proportions who offer neutral or even positive assessments of their workplaces in this regard: among those who fall in the serious or significant concerns categories, three in ten (28%) offer a neutral assessment and one in four (26%) give their workplace a positive rating in terms of its psychological safety and health. As such, many workers in Canada may, in fact, be working in psychologically risky work environments and not even be aware of it.

Further, the research allows for the comparison of sectors, socio-demographics, regions, company size and numerous other descriptors.

Those Most at Risk...

The findings suggest that those employees who are mainly involved in shift work, who work in a junior level position, are union members, non-management, male, not married, and working for medium or large companies are working in higher psychosocial risk workplaces.

It would also appear that workers who fall into the serious concerns category are significantly more likely to be worried about losing their job and to feel that the recent economic downturn has had a negative impact on their workplace. They are significantly less likely to feel confident about their economic future.

The PSR assessment also indicates that those sectors with employees most at risk are transportation and warehousing, manufacturing, health care and social assistance, and public administration.

The findings of the study are quite consistent across province or region.

Assessing the workplace based on twelve objective risk factor criteria...

After an exhaustive consultation process, twelve risk factor areas were established, with five agree/disagree statements per area, for a total of 60 questions. The risk factor areas are: Psychological Support; Organizational Culture; Clear Leadership & Expectations; Civility & Respect; Psychological Job Fit; Growth & Development; Recognition & Reward; Involvement & Influence; Workload Management; Engagement; Balance; and Psychological Protection.

Each of the 12 PSRs addressed in the study was evaluated using a scoring system that measured levels of agreement with the five statements related to that particular risk factor. Scores were divided into four distinct risk-level categories corresponding with serious concerns, significant concerns, moderate concerns, and minimal concerns. While the aggregate "at risk" group of Canadian workers is 29%, the table below shows the proportions of Canadian workers at each risk factor level within each PSR.

Findings by Sector...

The findings indicate that those sectors with employees more at risk are transportation and warehousing, and manufacturing Conversely, those sectors exhibiting the lowest levels of risk are professional, scientific and technical services; real estate, rental and leasing; and finance and insurance.

The following table ranks the sectors by risk:

Socio-demographic and other Key Descriptors...

The findings suggest that those employees who are mainly involved in shift work, who work in a junior level position, are union members, non-management, male, working more than 50 hours per week, not married, and working for medium or large companies report working in higher risk workplaces as far as psychological health and safety are concerned.

The following table ranks various socio-demographic and other key descriptors by risk:

It would also appear that workers who fall into the serious concerns category are significantly more likely to be worried about losing their job and to feel that the recent economic downturn has had a negative impact on their workplace. They are significantly less likely to feel confident about their economic future.

Strongly/Somewhat agree Summary Table:

Province/Region...

These are some of the findings of a poll conducted on behalf of the Consortium for Organizational Mental Healthcare (COMH) from March 19 to April 7, 2009. This online survey of 6,807 employed Canadian adults was conducted via the Ipsos I-Say Online Panel, Ipsos Reid's national online panel. The results of this poll are based on a sample where quota sampling and weighting were employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the actual employed Canadian population according to Census data. Quota samples with weighting from the Ipsos online panel provide results that are intended to approximate a probability sample. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls, however an unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 1.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had the entire population of employed adults in Canada been polled.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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