Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Nearly one in five Canadians who resigned from their jobs during the pandemic did so due to increased stress at work, according to a new survey.
The LifeWorks Mental Health Index is a monthly survey that asks Canadians questions about their mental health and well-being. The first survey was conducted in April 2020, and the data from each new survey is compared against benchmarks derived from pre-pandemic data collected in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
In the latest survey, 35 per cent of Canadians reported that they are either considering or are unsure about leaving their current job. These respondents reported a mental health score more than three times lower than those who are not considering leaving their job.
The survey also found that 16 per cent of respondents resigned from their jobs due to caregiving responsibilities. These respondents had among the least favourable mental-health scores (-28.4).
Older employees and parents were more likely to resign from their jobs than younger, childless workers, the survey found. Thirty-five per cent of respondents between the ages of 40-69 cited a lack of appreciation in the workplace as the reason for resigning, compared to nine percent of respondents aged 20-39.
Parents were more than twice as likely as non-parents to report resigning during the pandemic.
LifeWorks uses a system that turns individual responses into a point value. Higher points are associated with better mental health and less risk, according to the study. Using these points, an average score is calculated for the month. To measure change, the current month’s scores are compared against the pre-COVID benchmark score and the prior month’s score. A positive score reflects improvement, and negative scores reflect decline.
The survey found that 29 per cent of Canadians want to have flexibility in their work location in the post-pandemic work world.
Close to half of the respondents reported that their employer had not asked them about their work preferences for when the pandemic subsides. This group had the lowest mental-health score (-11.6).
Managers are nearly 40 per cent more likely than non-managers to report that their employers had asked them about their working preferences.
Stephen Liptrap, the president and CEO of LifeWorks, said the results from the latest index show that workers are continuing to feel stress over workplace changes.
“Canadians are indicating that actions speak louder than words when it comes to how employers address this,” he said in a statement.
“Building a supportive culture that speaks about and provides resources for mental health needs is a great first step. Employers must recognize that employees are considering resigning from their jobs if they don’t get support.”
The index results are part of a growing number of studies and data that suggest there’s been a “great resignation” of workers throughout the pandemic, sparking labour shortages.
Paula Allen, LifeWorks senior vice-president of research and total well-being, said it’s important that employees feel like they are being heard.
“Listening to employees’ views plays a crucial role in ensuring they feel valued and motivated to continue doing their best work,” she said in a statement.
The survey was conducted online, in English and in French, from Sept. 2-10. A total of 3,000 respondents participated, and all of them were employed in Canada within the last six months. The data has been statistically weighted to ensure the regional and gender composition of the sample reflects the population.
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
Three officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and five other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday at a North Carolina home, police said.
A Calgary elementary school principal has been charged with possession of child pornography, authorities announced Monday.
The Vancouver Island Health Authority is downplaying what staff describe as a cockroach infestation in a medical unit of Saanich Peninsula Hospital.
Toronto police say 12 people are facing a combined 102 charges in connection with an investigation into a major credit fraud scheme.
One of the winners of a historic US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot last month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
Britney Spears and her father Jamie Spears will avoid what could have been a long, ugly and revealing trial with a settlement of the lingering issues in the court conservatorship that controlled her life and financial decisions for nearly 14 years.
The clock is ticking ahead of the deadline to file a 2023 income tax return. A personal finance expert explains why you should get them done -- even if you owe more than you can pay.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.