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Those who can’t work from home are less happy
The automotive aftermarket is an industry where, for many, working remotely is not an option. Jobber stores need to be staffed and technicians need to be in the shop.
And a recent study from LifeWorks found that Canadians working exclusively at physical workplaces report worsened working lives.
Overall, Canadians’ mental health is below levels of pre-2020. But those who have to physically be at work are suffering more than those working a hybrid model or who are exclusively working from home.
More than one-in-five (23 per cent) of those working exclusively at physical workplaces are reporting a mental-health score of -21.1 — that’s more than 11 points below the national average.
Those working exclusively from home are three times more likely than individuals working exclusively at physical workplaces to report an improvement in their working lives. Furthermore, employees who are splitting their time between home and physical workplaces are nearly as twice as likely to report an improvement in their working lives than those working exclusively at physical workplaces.
However, those working in the automotive industry reported some of the highest mental health scores across all industries. With a score of -7.8, it was just behind mining and oil and gas extraction (-7.0) and Information and Cultural Industries (-7.3).
The most likely reason for this outcome is that the survey was done in the middle of the day, when those working from home are at home or its the people playing hooky from work and they prefer that. I think if the survey was done in the evening when people that are physically involved at a work place are home to answer, I think the outcome would be possibly different.