Remote workers in Canada are more stressed than ever before: survey

Stress levels are on the rise for Canadians who are working from home.

According to a new study, Canadians who have been working remotely are paying a “COVID tax” in the number of additional hours they’ve put in over the course of the pandemic.

A new survey from ADP Canada and Angus Reid says that remote Canadian workers are being impacted by stress due to logging more hours than in pre-pandemic times.

Almost half (44%) of Canadians working from home report they’ve been working longer hours, and one in ten said they worked an additional day (eight hours or more) per week.

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The survey says remote workers in Canada feel “less engaged with their work” since the start of the pandemic. It also says stress levels rose 7% over the past year — from 34% in April 2020 to 41% a year later.

“By encouraging employees to take vacation time and regular breaks, to monitor their stress levels and seek support if needed, and by introducing policies for after-hours work or educating on the right to disconnect, employers can help protect the physical and mental health of employees,” said Ed Yuen, Vice-President Strategy and Business Development at ADP Canada.

Yuen says companies initially moved to flexible work hours or “hybrid work models” to help keep employee’s stress levels at bay. He says while these policies were a perk for a few months, they are now commonplace.

The survey also says that 80% of working Canadians believe their employers should play a role in supporting the distribution of vaccines to their employees, the first being paid time off to get the vaccine, followed by the desire to have onsite vaccination clinics at work.

Seven-in-ten (69%) Canadians surveyed said their employer had “not instituted any initiatives to help with fatigue related to video-conferencing platforms and working from home during the pandemic.