Canadian workers are showing up to work even when sick or exhausted, according to a survey released today by Desjardins Financial Security (DFS).

Nearly half (42%) of those surveyed said they went to work tired or ill at least once in 2007. The most common reasons cited for working in such conditions were looming deadlines, avoiding work pile-up, protecting colleagues from overload. As well, employees said they were concerned lost income and about how their days off might appear to superiors.

Nine out of 10 respondents believe that stress-related mental health problems, such as burn-out, depression and anxiety are increasing, the survey showed. When asked about their daily work reality, many workers complained of increased stress, heavy workloads and a lack of recognition from their employer.

“Even if each person is responsible for his or her own health, these results should prompt employers to take a closer look at the reality of their own workplaces and its impact on their employees’ health,” said Alain Thauvette, senior vice-president of group and business insurance at DFS. “In the long run, employers cannot be entirely sure of the strength of their businesses if their workforce is not in good health.”

Importantly, 65% said that they participate less in decisions that involve their work, 61% agreed that workers today do too much for their employers and a full 60% commented that workers have difficult relationships with their bosses.

When it comes to workplace camaraderie, more than half of the workers surveyed (55%) said they have less contact with their co-workers and supervisors.

However, the survey also showed that workplace issues are not the main stressor in workers lives. In fact, workplace pressure ranked third, after money problems and personal health, in the list.

“In reality, we see just a small percentage of mental health absences that are solely related to workplace issues,” said Michele Nowski, director of disability income claims and disability management at DFS. “Obviously, stress management is still an everyday struggle for many people, but the main responsibility of the workplace is to provide healthy conditions to help workers face their daily challenges. The rest is up to the individual.”

This National Health Survey was conducted for Desjardins in relation to the upcoming National Mental Health Week starting May 5. 1,594 interviews were conducted with a representative sample of Canadian adults.