Low job control is a significant factor in the development of hypertension among workers, according to new research conducted by the Institute for Work and Health (IWH) and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES).

Stress and depression among Canada’s workforce costs the nation’s economy more than $50 billion a year and is responsible for hundreds of hours in absenteeism, according to researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
 
For every 1,000 Canadian employees, 145 short-term leaves are taken annually and about 20 of those are related to mental health, researchers found.

If you think mental illness in the workplace is simply a health issue, think again. 

According to mental health and legal experts, employers are faced with huge financial costs and the legal implications of mental illness as the problem becomes more prevalent in the workplace.

Employers across Canada and the U.S. are facing challenging business conditions and shifting priorities in terms of efficiencies and productivity, employment and health/disability-related issues.

These business conditions are not entirely unique for those of us who recall the recessions of the early 80s and 90s. In fact, Tom Stanley of the National Post states those of us old enough to recall the “dirty 30s” will see this pattern re-emerging. As well, the global nature of these business challenges should cause us all – from operations to occupational health to human resources – to consider the strategies your business needs to have in place to improve worker efficiency; enhance productivity and prevent or minimize the impact of “stress-related” illnesses and injuries, which invariably increase during these times.

Some say that safety starts at home. Most agree that it continues at home, in the way that we take care of ourselves. But just how great is the connection between oh&s and off-the-job safety and general "wellness"? If I'm the type of person who rides a bike without a helmet, stays up late drinking on week nights and has a primarily popcorn diet, am I more prone to getting hurt at work? Researchers are still at work on this issue, but meanwhile we asked the COS Reader Panel some questions on work-life balance. Here's what our 127 panelists had to say: