PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS’ RATES OF ANGER AND DEPRESSION REACHING CRITICAL LEVELS Serious Mental Health Issues Emerging among Provincial and Municipal Workers

TORONTO – July 12/04…. Rapid and radical change in public sector workplaces coincides with depression rates that have doubled and anger rates that have increased by 900 per cent in the past three years, says a new Public Sector Report released today by the WarrenShepell Research Group.

The Report examines patterns and trends in Employee Assistance Program (EAP) utilization by Canadian employees in the provincial and municipal sectors. The Report reviewed three years of data (2001-2003) - representing 3,300 accesses from a total sample size of 28,000 employees.

According to the Report:

• Provincial employees cite “anger symptoms” as their main concern at a rate that has increased by 900 per cent in the last three years. At 2.92 per cent of all cases, anger issues in the provincial sector are 48 per cent higher than the national norm of 1.97 per cent.
  
• Municipal employees’ depression rates have doubled in the last three years, from 3.17 per cent to 6.42 per cent of all cases.
  
• Levels of personal stress are high and on the rise for both provincial and municipal workers, at approximately 10 per cent of all cases.
  
• At 22.6 per cent of all cases, marital and relationship problems remain the most frequently presented issue among provincial and municipal workers, as they are across all sectors.
  
• Among municipal employees, access to legal services for issues related to separation, divorce and child custody are approximately 15 per cent higher than the national norm, and access for issues related to child support 66 per cent higher than the norm. The same pattern is not seen in provincial workers.
  
• The aging of the public sector workforce is mirrored in higher use of EAP among older workers. Employees aged 30 to 39 are the most frequent users of counselling and work/life services, with users over age 50 also accessing more frequently. The provincial sector has seen a significant rise in EAP use by 20- to 29-year-olds, whose accesses have increased two-and-a-half times since 2001.

With governments undertaking initiatives to become more efficient and results-oriented, the pressure on managers to manage change, and on workers to cope effectively with it, is intense. “In an aging workforce, especially, and one exhibiting signs of serious distress, the ability to manage and work in environments characterized by ongoing change can be an all-consuming struggle that saps productivity and ultimately may lead to serious mental health problems,” said WarrenShepell President and CEO, Rod Phillips.

“These patterns of EAP presenting issues, combined with what we know about upcoming retirement levels and the public sector’s commitment to transforming their business environments, underscore the critical need to support a vulnerable workforce with specialized change and conflict management programs. Employees must be able to adapt to new ways of working and interacting with each other if the transformation is to be a success,” Phillips added.

“The good news is that the provincial and municipal workers represented in this study appear to be highly comfortable with the types of psychosocial support programs available to them,” said Karen Seward, WarrenShepell’s vice president of research and business development. “They are not waiting until the problem is ‘urgent’ before making the call to their EAP, but they’re actually seeking services at an earlier point, when preventative and resolution-focused interventions can be of the greatest value.”

The Report also noted that public sector workplaces will continue to be challenged to attract, recruit and retain employees, especially the “Nexus” generation of 18- to 35-year-olds, who value non-wage factors such as career growth and work-life balance when choosing an employer. Compounding the problem, cynicism towards change and a lack of trust in management have been found to lower organizational commitment and retention among public sector employees, more so than in the private sector. A ‘status quo’ approach to employee health and wellness will be insufficient to counter the serious effects of these trends on employee-manager relationships, interpersonal stress and conflict, and on the rising rates and costs of health benefits, absenteeism and disability.

For a copy of the report, click here.

ABOUT WARRENSHEPELL and the WARRENSHEPELL RESEARCH GROUP
WarrenShepell is a leading provider of Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) and related organizational health and wellness services, offering services to over 3,000,000 employees and their families in over 2,000 organizations in Canada, the United States and internationally. The company was founded in 1979 by Dr. Warren Shepell. The WarrenShepell Research Group is a subsidiary of WarrenShepell. Its mandate is to educate employers and business leaders on mental health issues as they impact the workplace. The WarrenShepell Research Group offers a precise understanding of health and wellness trends by conducting sector and issue-based analysis. www.warrenshepell.com.

© 2005 WarrenShepell