Introduction: Active Living in Canadian Workplaces

• Workplaces Take Many Forms
• The 'Typical' Worker is Changing
• The Changing Nature of the Workplace
• Shifting Management of Human Resources & Benefits
• Active Living Opportunities at Work

Workplaces Take Many Forms

In 2002 there were approximately one million businesses operating in Canada.

Organization Size

• Less than 1% of these businesses consisted of large organizations of 500 or more employees. However, these large businesses employed over 40% of the Canadian workforce.
• The vast majority of companies (92%) employed fewer than 20 workers. These small businesses accounted for about one-fifth of all employment.

Industries/Sectors

• Nearly three-quarters of all jobs are now in the services industries, including the retail and wholesale trades, health and social services, and education.
• Only about one-quarter of jobs are now in goods-producing industries like mining and manufacturing.
• In 2002, the public sector - which comprises all three levels of government, including government business enterprises, health and social service institutions, and school boards, universities and colleges - averaged over 2.8 million jobs.

'Non-Standard' Jobs

• 'Non-standard' jobs have multiplied. 'Non-standard' work includes part-time and temporary jobs, self-employment, and multiple job holding.
• This type of work grew rapidly in the early 1990s and has stabilized since then, accounting for about one-third of employment.
• Women, younger workers and recent immigrants are more likely to be involved in this type of employment.
• Job security, wages and benefits tend to be lower in these jobs than in traditional employment.

Work Patterns

• Statistics Canada reports that compared with the late 1980s, the typical '9 to 5' job has taken a back seat to other work patterns. More people are working more or fewer hours, or taking on shift work or other alternative work arrangements.
• Tele-commuting and working from home has grown.

Self-Employed Workers

• From 1976 to 2002, the number of self-employed workers in Canada nearly doubled.
• In 2002, about 15% of all Canadian workers were self-employed.
• A Statistics Canada¹ survey of self-employed workers revealed that about 80% were self-employed voluntarily, 20% because of lack of other opportunities.
• Only about 40% of the self-employed had benefits like supplementary health, dental and disability insurance.
• 'Entrepreneurial values' was the aspect most valued by the self-employed. A close second for women were the flexible hours and the ability to work from home.
• Self-employed workers were concerned about uncertainty and insecurity, long hours and no time off, income fluctuations, and lack of benefits.

The 'Typical' Worker is Changing

• While women have been making inroads into non-traditional jobs, they still tend to dominate certain fields, such as sales and services; business, finance and administration; social science; education; government services; and health.
• In contrast, men are more likely than women to work in blue-collar jobs, in management, as well as in natural and applied sciences.
• The number of working mothers with young children has increased sharply. By 2001, 66% of mothers with children under 3 years old were in the labour force as were 75% of those with children from the ages of 3 to 5.
• Youths (those aged 15 to 24) are much more likely to work in sales and service jobs. In 2002, 81% of employed youths worked in the services-producing sector. Specifically, 25% of these youths worked in retail trade while a further 18% were employed in accommodation and food services.
• From 1991 to 2001, people in highly skilled occupations, which normally require a university education, accounted for almost half of the growth in the total labour force. In 2001, these workers accounted for 16% of the total labour force, up from 13% a decade earlier.
• The workforce is aging rapidly. In 2001, those aged 37 to 55 made up 47% of the labour force. In 2011, half of the workforce will be 55 or over, and 18% will be over the age of 60.
• In 2001, there were 3.6 million Canadians with disabilities. Among persons with disabilities, the employment rate was 45% for men and 39% for women. In contrast, among people without disabilities, the employment rate was much higher - about 79% for men and 69% for women.
• Census data show that immigrants who landed in Canada during the 1990s, and who were in the labour force in 2001, represented almost 70% of the total growth of the labour force over the decade.

The Changing Nature of the Workplace

The Global Economy

• Canadian organizations are part of the global economy and acknowledge that to compete successfully in this global economy they need to change the ways they conduct business.
• In many instances, this has changed the basic relationship between the organization and its employees. Global trade, competitiveness and global business relationships have precipitated a change in the business culture.
• Global competitiveness means employers are more concerned than ever about the costs of benefit packages, payroll taxes and their relationship to profits.

The Employer/Employee Relationship

• The evolution from the industrial society to the knowledge society fundamentally changed the relationships between employers and employees.
• Traditionally in the industrial society, employers provided:
  • Stable, long-term jobs in return for company loyalty;
  • A sense of family and belonging.
  • An environment where long-term employees were valued and company loyalty was expected and given.
• The structural changes that occurred through the 80s and 90s significantly changed these relationships. Employees began to recognize that jobs may not be for life, and organizations were not necessarily going to 'look after them'.
• Employers and employees have begun to develop new partnerships to serve their needs more fully in the new environment. Organizations are beginning to tailor benefit packages to the meet the needs of the individual.
• The work arrangement is more temporary and must serve the needs of both the employee and the company. Prospective employees carefully examine working conditions. This is particularly apparent in the highly competitive high-tech sector.

Stress and the Balancing Act

• Stress levels for employees are increasing as they have to worry about performing on the job as well as constantly managing their careers.
• The emerging philosophy is 'we will contract with you to provide an environment in which you can personally excel.'
• The balance between work and family has become increasingly difficult to maintain in the fast-paced competitive environment in which most people have to work.
• In this environment, workplace health is becoming increasingly important and complex.

Shifting Management of Human Resources & Benefits

The fundamental changes occurring in the nature and organization of work will result in significant shifts to the management of human resources and benefits.

For example:

• Human resource strategies will be more directly integrated with business planning and results.
• There will be less emphasis on traditional ('we'll take care of you') values, in favour of a culture which supports shared responsibility between employers and employees.
• Resiliency or the ability to adapt to change will become a core competency of individual employees.
• Individuals will be required to self-manage their personal stress levels and health.
• Individual productivity will become increasingly important and measured by organizations. As well, employees will be increasingly measured on their ability to balance their work and family/personal life.
• Non-traditional work arrangements such as telecommuting, virtual offices, home workers, etc., will increase in importance. This, in turn, will affect the nature and scope of benefit packages.
• The competitive advantage of any organization will be its ability to react quickly to changes in the business environment, to be responsive and able to adapt quickly to customer demands, as well as to hire efficient, effective and healthy people.
• Similarly, the individual employee's ability to market themselves will require them to be technically and socially capable, responsive and adaptable to change, self-responsible in terms of balancing their work/personal lives, and healthy so that they can be productive at work.

In this kind of business environment it is likely that employees will value benefits like supportive physical activity policies and programs in the workplace and choose employers who offer these types of benefits.

Active Living Opportunities at Work

A survey of over 1,700 Canadian companies was conducted by the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute (CFLRI) in 2003. This survey provided important insight into the means through which active living is already being promoted in Canadian workplaces.

CFLRI' s key findings regarding active living at work:

• Most Canadian work organizations provide some form of support for active living at work.
• Approximately 75% of companies offer health and fitness information to employees through a variety of media such as bulletin boards, newsletters, e-mails, and brochures.
• 71% of companies offer recreational opportunities such as golf tournaments and ski trips to employees.
• Approximately half of Canadian companies provide employees with opportunities to participate in team sports such as softball, hockey, and soccer.
• 67% of workplaces provide employee access to change/locker rooms.
• 55% of workplaces provide bicycle racks to encourage active commuting.
• 40% of workplaces provide showers at or nearby the work site.
• 17% of workplaces provide on-site fitness facilities.
• 27% of workplaces provide employee access to off-site physical activity and fitness facilities.
• About 13% of companies offer group exercise programs on-site.
• 11% of companies provide access to fitness testing or physical activity counseling to employees.
• Only 7% of companies provide individual fitness programs to employees.
• Just over one-third of employers provide information abut policies and programs that support workplace physical activity.
• One quarter of workplaces offer seminars, workshops, speakers and other educational opportunities to employees.

Small business offers fewer fitness programs

Access to facilities that support physical activities is much lower among smaller companies than among larger companies:

• 21% of small companies (25-50 employees) vs. 39% of large (1000+ employees) have fitness facilities at work
• 29% of small companies vs. 50% of large companies offer access to off-site fitness facilities
• 45% of small companies vs. 71% of large companies provide bicycle racks
• 30% of small companies vs. 70% of large provide showers
• 40% of small companies vs. 72% provide change areas or locker rooms

The CFLRI reports that, compared with the previous survey 10 years ago, access to facilities that support physical activity in the workplace has increased dramatically. However, smaller companies are still much less likely to have such facilities available to their employees.

Creative solutions are needed to provide employees of smaller companies and rural workplaces with access to such facilities.

1. See Statistics Canada , Survey of Self-Employment. The Daily. Tuesday January 29, 2002.