63% of Canadians Consider Health and Wellness Offerings When Choosing a Job

Wednesday, 09 January 2019 10:00.AM

Survey: 63 Per Cent of Workers in Canada Consider Health and Wellness Offerings When Choosing a Job

- Ergonomic resources and fitness amenities are most commonly sought by employees and provided by companies
- More than one-quarter of organizations don't have any health and wellness programs

Workers are looking to their employers for some help in meeting their health and wellness goals, new research from staffing firm OfficeTeam suggests. Sixty-three per cent of professionals surveyed in Canada said a company's health and wellness offerings influence their decision to work there. Employees place the greatest weight on ergonomic workplace evaluations and equipment (30 per cent) and fitness facilities or programs (25 per cent). Fortunately, these are the resources most commonly offered by organizations (36 per cent each). Twenty-nine per cent of companies don't have any health and wellness options.

Workers were asked, "To what extent does a company's health and wellness offerings influence your decision to work there?" Their responses:

- A great deal - 16%
- Somewhat - 47%
- Not at all - 36%


The health and wellness offerings valued most by workers, and what's offered at companies:


... / What Workers Value Most / What Companies Offer
- Ergonomic evaluations and equipment - 30% - 36%
- Access to fitness facilities or programs - 25% - 36%
- Stress management resources - 15% - 26%
- Healthy food options - 13% - 26%
- Wellness incentives (offering prizes for engaging in healthy behaviour) - 10% - 27%
- On-site vaccinations or health screenings - 7% - 19%
- None of these - N/A - 29%


Additional findings:

- Professionals ages 18 to 34 (74 per cent) most often said health and wellness offerings impact their decision to work at an organization, compared to those ages 35 to 54 (60 per cent) and 55 and older (50 per cent).
- Companies with fewer than 100 employees were least likely to have health and wellness programs.

"As standards for health and wellness evolve, organizations need to be responsive to the changing expectations of professionals if they want to find and retain the best talent," said Koula Vasilopoulos, a district director for OfficeTeam. "Candidates are weighing job opportunities more holistically, including assessing the potential impact a role may have on their well-being."

Added Vasilopoulos, "Companies that offer their staff a variety of resources to support a healthy lifestyle both in and out of the office ultimately benefit from a more appealing corporate culture, and engaged, productive and satisfied workforce."


About the Research

The online surveys were developed by OfficeTeam, a Robert Half company, and conducted by independent research firms. They include responses from more than 1,000 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments in Canada and more 600 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees in Canada.

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