WarrenShepell REPORTS TECH WORKER STRESS ON THE RISE Report finds depression growing in Canadian tech sector while workplace conflict remains lower than average.

TORONTO – February 25, 2003… Canada’s technology sector should pay careful attention to the patterns of stress, depression and anxiety developing in tech workers, says a Report from WarrenShepell Corp., Canada’s leading provider of Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) and related organizational health and wellness services.

Citing the volatility in the technology markets in 2000/2001 as a chief contributor to this trend, the firm’s 2003 Information Technology Sector Report also found that this workforce is more likely to foster a respectful workplace.

The Report, released today at a news conference, says that there is a pattern of depression in Canadian tech workers that must be addressed since this industry is poised for growth. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Canada’s software industry is the seventh largest in the world, with information technology services ranking sixth.

Data was compiled from a statistical sampling of 153 organizations with 86,000 employees across Canada.

Rod Phillips, President and CEO of WarrenShepell Corp., says: “We recommend work/life and general mental health and wellness promotion programs, including stress management, to combat the high stress in the industry produced by its volatility and rapid change.”

Stress, depression and anxiety are among the most serious mental health issues in the workplace, as they so frequently take employees off line, and sources of personal and work stress in technology employees now appear to be higher than the national norm as of 2002.

The Report also cited…

• Employee Assistance Program utilization in the technology sector runs slightly below national norms. Technology, as other sectors, shows a sharp rise in utilization in 2001 – bringing it up to national levels in 2001.
  
• A slightly higher proportion of technology employees access mainstream counseling but a lower proportion access work/life services.
  
• Technology workers, generally young and well-educated, are more likely to foster environments where racial and cultural diversity do not lead to the type of group conflict and workplace harassment seen frequently in other industries.
  
• Technology workers are more likely to be smokers than the national norm, and smoking cessation programs are accessed less than in other sectors.

For a copy of the Report, click here.

ABOUT WarrenShepell CORP.
Founded in 1979 by Dr. Warren Shepell, WarrenShepell Corporation 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 more than 2,000 organizations in Canada, the United States and internationally.

© 2005 WarrenShepell