Workers often joke that their jobs are making them sick, but a recently released survey on mental illness and addiction in the workplace has concluded they could be right.

The survey, conducted by the Institute of Health Economics (IHE), a not-for-profit research organization in Alberta, found that most mental health problems stem from negative working conditions. Researchers went on to conclude that the most effective way to promote mental well-being in the workplace is to change the work culture.

The study, which noted a strong relationship between mental illness and addiction, reported that the most significant factors determining mental health are: risk of injury, after-hours work, irregular work-time (including shift work), job satisfaction and, most importantly, stress. Apart from after-hours work, these factors are all characterized by a sense of hopelessness.

According to the survey, the third done by IHE since 1992, stress among Alberta workers is on the rise.

Dr. Angus Thompson, a research affiliate at IHE and a co-author of the study, said that while the findings are in line with other recent studies in Canada, it is still unexpected because the population is aging and stress levels at work should be going down.

“In spite of that, the levels of extreme stress are staying the same —16 to 18 per cent, depending on how we measure it. That’s quite a few that report they have extreme stress at work, and the majority [of workers] feel they have some kind of stress. And stress can have some serious consequences,” he says.

“So the work culture — whether you’ve got a toxic manager, whether people are not feeling those kinds of satisfactions at work — all add up, and stress is part of it.”

It’s important to understand, Thompson added, that work factors are not the prime cause of mental problems. Rather, they aggravate vulnerabilities.

“Most of us come into the work situation with the beginnings of various problems already in place, so workplaces don’t cause mental illness or drug addictions,” he said. “But if you get a toxic workplace, it means that those who are even a little bit vulnerable can be set off and can start having difficulties at work.”
 
 A common indicator of mental illness at work is the inability to finish tasks, he said. People who are mentally healthy and find their jobs rewarding get up in the morning and look forward to the day. They will be proactive at work and don’t need constant reminders about what they have to do.

But workers who are depressed are dragging themselves around. While they can do assigned tasks, they find it very difficult to work up any energy to show initiative.

Other mental health problems, such as schizophrenia, can undermine a person’s judgment, he adds. And people with either depression or schizophrenia are even more responsive to stress than healthy workers.

An effective mental health program in the workplace starts at the management level, Thompson says. Employers need to be able to recognize mental illness early on in a worker, understanding the difference between real problems and personality eccentricities.

“They need to detect the early signs that something is amiss,” he says, adding that intervening at an early stage would be beneficial for the well-being of the individual and for the company’s bottom-line.

“If you see people who used to get things done on time, and all of a sudden they’re late — the excuses are always pretty good, but what really counts is that they’re late,” Thompson says.

Adam Fisher, business development manager at Renascent, a mental health treatment facility in Toronto, says a clear sign that a worker has an addiction problem is change in productivity — it’s usually down. However, a person on stimulants may also show a sudden increase in productivity.

Addiction can also cause an employee to have more safety infractions or actual accidents, and attendance is often affected; many start missing work Mondays or regularly the day after payday.

“That’s absenteeism, but there’s also ‘presenteeism’,” he explains. The employee is attending and is physically on the job, but they are just not there. The concern and distraction caused by the addiction makes them — even though they’re coming into work — unable to be focused on the job.”

Workers with addiction problems also show a change in appearance, he adds. They may lose a lot of weight or be tired all the time.