Family, friends
help with stress
More than three-quarters (81 per cent) of Canadians say that the COVID-19 pandemic is
negatively impacting their mental health, according to a survey by Morneau Shepell of
3,000 people, ranging from some concern but an ability to cope (49 per cent) to feeling the
crisis has a negative, very negative or significantly negative impact on their mental health
(32 per cent).
With the pandemic in full swing, 20
per cent of workers in the U.K. say
they are worried about mental illness,
found a survey of 1,099 respondents
by Ipsos MORI. A further 21 per cent
are worried about isolation while 13
per cent are not happy with social
distancing. To cope with the stress,
responses include:
Saskatchewan
suffers the most
Ninety per cent of small businesses
are being negatively affected by the
COVID-19 crisis, according to the
Alignable Small Business Pulse Poll of
217,000 owners of small businesses in
Canada and the U.S. with 50 or fewer
employees.
The top three Canadian provinces
where small businesses have been
hurt by the pandemic:
93.1%
Saskatchewan
91.3%
Ontario
91.2%
New Brunswick
Top concerns having an impact on mental health:
55% financial impact of the pandemic
42% fear of getting ill or having a loved one die
24%
entertainment (reading, crafts, music)
22%
contact with family and friends
19%
social media and video calls
18%
physical activity
15%
working from home
Unpaid leaves popular option
In a U.S. survey by Pearl Meyer of 369 employers during the first week of April, 53% of
respondents said they have taken or are considering taking staffing actions as a result of the
COVID-19 crisis, while 47% had no plans to institute changes to staff levels or work schedules.
Actions already taken by respondents include:
51% of employees think their organization is good at listening to employees
51% of employees are satisfied with the process of collecting feedback
63% of employees are satisfied with the employee experience
66% of employees would leave for a similar job
ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOUR EMPLOYEES?
20%
furlough or unpaid leave for salaried or hourly employees
16%
frozen or decreased salaries while maintaining staff
14%
reduced workforce
8%
reduced hours for hourly employees
Employers that only solicit feedback once per year from employees face apathy from half of their staff and an
employee retention challenge, according to an O.C. Tanner survey of 20,088 workers at companies with 500+
employees in 15 countries. For organizations that only use an annual survey to collect employee feedback:
Pandemic weighs heavily on people's mental health
33% uncertainty around how the virus will impact family
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