The provincial government of Quebec is currently considering reforms to its workplace safety laws –and some legislators, workers, and even the healthcare industry have spoken up to suggest that the changes include a reclassification of workplace burnout as an “occupational disease.”
Labour Minister Jean Boulet had tabled 130 pages of reforms last fall to update workplace safety regulations that date all the way back in 1979. The legislation has not been revised since 1985, and has made no mention of common office work-related ailments such as repetitive stress injuries.
However, opposition parties, unions and the Federation of Medical Specialists of Quebec said that the bill only provides limited protections against the potential mental exhaustion arising from modern work conditions. In order to better address the issue, the group wants burnout to be categorized as an “occupational disease.”
CBC News reported that if burnout is categorized as an occupational disease, workers who experience burnout would no longer have to go out of their way to prove their symptoms are caused by work, while making it easier for them to access both compensation and medical treatment for their mental exhaustion.
“Burnout is the scourge of the 21st century,” said Québec Solidaire MNA Alexandre Leduc, who spearheaded the burnout recategorization.
Business groups have opposed the suggestion to treat burnout as an occupational disease. In documents submitted to the minister last month, the business groups argued that health and safety premiums in Quebec are already too high as they are now, and would only rise further if burnout was defined as a workplace ailment.
Advocates defended the recommendation, pointing out that the additional support is necessary since the labour market has evolved over the last four decades. They also said that as riskier work conditions persist and unionization rates continue to decline, more and more workers are at risk of experiencing burnout.
