Think your job is bad? A recent survey reveals that almost half of CBC’s 10,000 workers have “high levels” of psychological distress because of their working conditions.
Sun Media reports that according to a 2005 "wellness" survey of 4,630 staff obtained through the Access to Information Act, the national broadcaster provides a "troubled" working environment for employees.
Costing an estimated $100,000, the questionnaire probed topics such as psychological health, harassment, working conditions and job satisfaction.
A full 44 per cent of respondents showed symptoms of high-level psychological distress, and 90 per cent of those claimed they were work-related. These distressed workers took twice as many sick days.
An alarming 12 per cent of employees reported receiving abusive comments, crass gestures and death threats from their colleagues and bosses. One frequent claim was that “"My boss told my co-workers that he couldn't stand me and that he hated me.”
Four out of five people said it was physically uncomfortable to work at the CBC, and they subsequently suffered from ailments including back and neck pain and sleeping disorders. A third of the staff said they would likely quit their jobs.
"It described a troubled atmosphere," said union spokesperson Dan Oldfiele of the report. "It was an extremely stressful environment. [It showed] that our health costs and absenteeism were increasing [and that] it was not an accident."
The CBC has responded to the findings. Said spokesperson Katherine Heath-Eves, "The study identified some key areas of concern and obviously we take them very seriously."
The corporation has organized a mandatory half-day "respect seminar" for staff, provided stress counselling, and hired full-time staff dedicated to making the workplace comfortable and reducing physical ailments.
In other CBC news, a judge of the network’s reality show How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? has been fired after he was arrested for assault this week.
Simon Lee, 46, was arrested Sunday in a hotel in Toronto's Yorkville district after a man in his 20s said he was assaulted in a room and prevented from leaving.
The conductor and musical supervisor was charged with assault and forcible confinement and "vigorously" declares his innocence in the case, reports Canadian Press.
Lee was absent from the final taping of Maria on Monday; at the time, show reps claimed it was because of personal reasons. Turns out was in jail Sunday night and released Monday morning on $10,000 bail.
Elicia MacKenzie won How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, earning the role of Maria von Trapp in the upcoming Mirvish and Andrew Lloyd Webber production of The Sound of Music at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre.
Lloyd Webber’s reps have announced that Lee will no longer be involved in the musical. Lee is due in court Aug. 27.
Thoughts? melissa@tvguide.ca
