In today’s competitive job market, organizations strive to attract top talent and earn recognition as the best places to work. However, beyond awards and accolades, it is important that employers understand their employees’ mental health and wellbeing to modernize recruitment and retention strategies.
At Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC), we report that one in ten employed Canadians experience high levels of anxiety, leading to up to three lost workdays per week due to mental health challenges. This means that in a 50-person organization, several team members are likely struggling with their mental health today—including burnout—which inevitably impacts both workplace culture and the bottom line.
Is this level of strain normal? How are we doing compared to our counterparts in the private and public sectors?
Having worked in the nonprofit sector for over seven years, I have experienced firsthand the ups and downs of mental health in a mission-driven but demanding environment – just as you have. I share this sentiment with many of my fellow nonprofit champions – the stress of tackling competing priorities, wearing multiple hats in a resource limited organization and juggling project deadlines while securing the next round of funding takes a toll.
Would I have it any other way? No. I deeply believe in my mission, and over time, I have built protective and resiliency factors to better manage my mental health – with support from my employers and peers to get me through those difficult days.
In the past year, MHRC surveyed over 4,000 Canadians about their mental health, including 300 individuals working in the nonprofit sector. Here’s what we found:
- Burnout at work and in personal life: Interestingly, we are less likely to report feeling burnout at work and in our personal lives (18%), compared to 23% in the public sector and 25% in the private sector.
- Access to support: We are more likely to seek mental health supports when we need it (21% vs. 14% private sector).
- Coping with feelings of stress: We are coping well with feelings of stress, anxiety and depression (26%), compared to those in public (36%), or private (37%) sectors.
- Impact on daily life and productivity: Mental health symptoms affect daily life for 35% of nonprofit employees, slightly higher than in the private (30%) and public (29%) sectors. We are more likely to report feeling impaired in the last week when our productivity was impacted by our mental health (23%) compared to employees in private or public sector (21% and 18%).
What do these important statistics mean for nonprofit professionals? It was unexpected that our research results would show no considerable differences between sectors. We know there are unique challenges working in the nonprofit sector as we are strained by doing more with less. This speaks to protection factors that I believe make nonprofit work special – we are driven and dedicated to the mission to drive change, build community and improve the lives of those we serve. This sense of purpose sustains us and builds resilience, helping us manage workplace stress in ways that differ from other sectors.
In the pursuit of recruiting and retaining nonprofit champions, my advice to employers today is to know and understand the mental health of your employees. Use MHRC’s up-to-date data to understand how your nonprofit organization is faring compared to others. Use these data insights to shape the questions on your next employment engagement survey to get the change-making answers you need to improve your mental health offerings and programs. For employees, don’t hesitate to voice your concerns. Engage with your workplace and culture committee, HR manager and leadership and join the movement to make our mission-driven workplaces more psychologically healthy and safe places to work.
Decisions that impact your workforce should be driven by credible data – MHRC is here to provide those insights to the nonprofit sector. In this three-part series, I will share the stories of Canadians working within the nonprofit sector to highlight their lived experience and offer practical, data-informed strategies to advance workplace mental health.
To get more data insights on the psychological health and safety of the workplace, look at our latest report: https://www.mhrc.ca/psychological-health-and-safety-2024.
Sheldon Mellis
Director, Strategic Partnerships and Engagement
Mental Health Research Canada
The views expressed in this article are the author’s alone and do not necessarily represent those of CharityVillage.com or any other individual or entity with whom the authors or website may be affiliated. CharityVillage.com is not liable for any content that may be considered offensive, inappropriate, defamatory, or inaccurate or in breach of third-party rights of privacy, copyright, or trademark.