Eight percent of Canadian companies now permit cannabis use during the workday, according to a new poll from Ipsos.
Half of the workers who are allowed to use cannabis before, during and after work take their employers up on the offer. That means one in 25 Canadians now smokes weed during working hours, according to the results of the Ipsos survey, which was commissioned by ADP Canada.
Between Aug. 30 and Sept. 18, 2019, the pollsters interviewed 1,160 working Canadians aged 18 and over about cannabis use during working days. Eighty-six percent of Canadians polled said their employer does not permit recreational cannabis use during the workday and 6% were unsure.
The study suggested that recreational cannabis use would only have a minimal impact on workplace performance. Three-quarters of the Canadians surveyed said recreational cannabis use would have no impact on health and safety, while 74% said it would have no effect on productivity, 71% said it would have no impact on absenteeism, and 70% said quality of work would be unaffected.
The survey found that 5% of Canadians use recreational cannabis before work, 4% consume it during work and 6% enjoy it after work with colleagues. The rest of Canada’s cannabis users consume it when they are not at work or with colleagues.
“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 of HR Advisory at ADP Canada.
The Canadian market will open up for recreational sales of edibles, extracts, and topicals before the end of 2019, which should compel many employers to revise their policies regarding cannabis use.
Thirteen percent of managers believe cannabis use is acceptable in the workplace, compared to 3% of non-managers.
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