New study finds recreational cannabis impact
in the workplace lower than expected
TORONTO, Oct. 3, 2019 /CNW/ - Nearly one year after
cannabis legalization in Canada, a
new study from Ipsos, commissioned by ADP Canada, reveals most
Canadian workplaces don't allow recreational cannabis before,
during and after work. Most working Canadians (86%) say their
employer does not permit recreational cannabis use and only a
fraction (8%) say cannabis use is allowed during the workday. These
findings are in line with a similar study conducted by ADP in 2018,
where 6 per cent of Canadians thought they would be allowed to use
cannabis during work hours or before coming to work.
The study found that recreational cannabis had a
smaller-than-expected impact on workplace performance. Most
Canadians believe recreational cannabis has had no impact at work
in terms of health and safety incidents (75%), productivity (74%)
absenteeism (71%) or quality of work (70%). This is in stark
contrast to opinions held prior to legalization in 2018, when
nearly half of working Canadians expected productivity (46%) and
quality of work (43%) to decline, and health and safety incidents
(55%) and absenteeism (40%) to increase.
Within the small number of working Canadians (8%) who say their
employer allows the use of recreational cannabis, 63 per cent are
consuming it before work, 47 per cent are consuming during work
hours and 72 per cent are consuming after work (72%). However,
when looking at Canada's working
population at large, the survey finds that only a fraction of
Canadians consume recreational cannabis before work (5%), during
work hours (4%) and after work with colleagues (6%).
"There was a lot of uncertainty and hype leading up to
cannabis legalization last year, but so far, cannabis has not had a
noticeable impact on the workplace or on workplace performance,"
said Hendrik Steenkamp, Director, HR
Advisory, ADP Canada. "Although only a fraction of Canadian
workplaces allow cannabis during the workday, it's important for
every organization to develop proper workplace guidelines and
policies, as well as provide training to identify and manage
impairment."
There remains a disconnect between managers and non-managers on
both acceptance and consumption of recreational cannabis during the
workday. Though 80 per cent of Canadians say they are either fully
or somewhat aware of expectations surrounding legal recreational
cannabis use, managers (86%) are more likely to fully understand
their organization's policies than non-managers (74%). Respondents
in Atlantic Canada were most
likely to be aware (72%) of their organization's expectations and
Quebecers were the least likely to be aware (56%). Additionally,
managers are more likely to believe that cannabis is accepted in
the workplace (13% compared to 3% of non-managers).
Canadian attitudes toward recreational cannabis have not changed
significantly since legalization - nearly half of participants
(46%) claim their perception of cannabis has not changed at all and
22 per cent say their perception of cannabis is more positive.
Positive perceptions on cannabis are highest in Ontario (27%) and Atlantic Canada (22%).
With the legalization of recreational cannabis edibles, extracts
and topicals in Canada occurring
on October 17, it is likely that many
workplaces will be reviewing and revising their policies regarding
cannabis use. However, over half of Canadians (55%) say they do not
believe this impending legalization will change their employer's
expectations around impairment. Managers (37%) are more likely than
non-managers (23%) to expect a change in their employer's
expectations. Regionally, this opinion is most prevalent in
Alberta (35%), Ontario (33%), and British Columbia, and least held in the
Prairies (17%) or Atlantic Canada
(20%).
Survey Methodology
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted
between August 30 and September 18,
2019 on behalf of ADP. For this survey, a sample of 1,160
working Canadians aged 18 and over were interviewed. Weighting was
then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's
composition reflects that of the population of working Canadians
according to Census data and to provide results intended to
approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online
polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the
poll is accurate to within ±3.3 percentage points, 19 times out of
20, had all working Canadian adults been polled. The credibility
interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample
surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error,
including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement
error.
About ADP Canada
Designing better ways to work through
cutting-edge products, premium services and exceptional experiences
that enable people to reach their full potential. HR, Talent,
Time Management, Benefits and Payroll. Informed by data and
designed for people. For more information about ADP
Canada visit www.adp.ca or follow us on
Twitter @ADP_CDA.
SOURCE ADP Canada Co.