Have you ever logged off after a long day of work only to find you can’t seem to stop sending emails late into the night? Or maybe you realize that although the clock has hit 5 PM, you’re still working away into the evening? If you struggle to power down from work after you’re off for the day, then you’re not alone — a new report has found that 28 per cent of Canadians working from home are finding it difficult to disconnect from work after hours.
According to the newest Mental Health Index from LifeWorks, Canadians who are working remotely are finding it challenging to unplug because 51 per cent have too much work to do during the day. It also doesn’t help that a quarter of Canadians say that their manager contacts them outside of work hours, and 23 per cent report that their co-workers also contact them after work hours.
Related: Want to improve your wellbeing? Optimism may be the key: Study.
More employees are burned out
The report also discovered that workers aren’t only struggling to power down — they’re burned out. More than two in five people feel mentally and/or physically exhausted at the end of their workday, and workers under 40 years old are 50 per cent more likely to feel this way.
Although respondents shared their feelings around feeling exhausted, depending on where you live, some provinces reported better mental health scores than others. The report found that, for March 2022, mental health scores improved in Alberta, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, while British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and the Maritimes had scores that declined.
If you’re finding it hard to unplug, you might have to re-assess your workload and try setting healthy boundaries with your boss and coworkers. And also take the time to work on de-stressing and practicing self-care when you can.
Related: Stress vs anxiety: How to tell the difference.
