Productivity in Canada

• Physical health effects: chronic fatigue, sleep disturbance, headaches, immune changes, and higher cardiovascular risk with long-term stress.
• Mental health and cognition: increased anxiety or depressive symptoms, burnout, irritability, and difficulty with focus or memory.
• Sleep and self-care: insomnia or oversleeping, appetite and exercise changes, and poorer overall self-care.
• Personal and relationships life: more conflict at home, reduced quality time with loved ones, and social withdrawal.
• Work performance and safety: lower productivity, more errors, higher absenteeism, and greater risk of burnout.

Resources and next steps: If you’re experiencing these effects, consider workplace strategies (set boundaries, schedule breaks, communicate workload) and seek support (HR/EAP). In Canada, October offers digital group sessions for stress management that can be accessed remotely.

Effects of high productivity stress on the economy (Canada)

• Short-term gains vs long-term costs: Productivity pressure may boost output briefly but leads to burnout, more errors, accidents, and absenteeism, reducing long-run productivity and potential GDP.

• Higher health and social costs: Increased demand for mental health services, disability, workers' compensation, and public health spending, raising overall costs for employers and the system.

• Talent turnover and skill gaps: Burnout drives turnover, recruitment/training costs, and loss of experienced workers, harming innovation and competitiveness.

• Weaker consumer demand and resilience: Stressed workers may have lower disposable income and morale, dampening consumption and economic resilience.

• Mitigation and compliance: Sustainable work design, reasonable overtime, supervisor training, and workplace mental health supports (e.g., digital programs like October for group sessions and assessments) can sustain productivity while protecting well-being; also aligns with Canadian legal obligations to accommodate mental health needs and support employee well-being.

• In Canada, align limits on weekly work hours and guarantee paid sick leave and mental health days across federal and provincial regimes to reduce chronic overwork and burnout.

• Legislate a right to disconnect and enforce after-hours boundaries to protect personal time and recovery, with clear employer accountability.

• Expand access to mental health care and workplace supports, including public funding for psychologists and scalable digital options (e.g., October for group sessions and assessments) to reach more workers.

• Require psychosocial risk management and manager training, with mental health first aid and regular workplace risk assessments for psychosocial hazards integrated into occupational health and safety programs.

• Promote flexible work arrangements and caregiving supports (remote/hybrid options, childcare subsidies, reliable broadband access) to lessen stress from commuting and caregiving demands, with attention to rural and remote communities.

• Rethink productivity metrics to emphasize sustainable workload and meaningful outcomes rather than long hours, with safeguards to prevent punitive responses to taking time for mental health.

• Align expectations with capacity: set clear, realistic goals and communicate priorities to prevent scope creep.
• Manage workload and pace: limit work-in-progress, use regular backlog grooming, and enforce reasonable deadlines.
• Boundaries and flexibility: offer flexible scheduling and remote options; establish a clear after-hours policy to reduce constant signaling of work.
• Breaks and recovery: mandate regular breaks, discourage after-hours emails, and encourage short micro-breaks to recharge.
• Leadership and culture: train managers to recognize burnout signs, promote psychological safety, and encourage open dialogue about stress without judgment.
• Resources and support: provide accessible mental health options (EAP, October digital group sessions and assessments, and relevant content) and normalize using them without stigma.