ViewStock via Getty Images

TORONTO ― A significant number of employees admit that their workplace performance has been eroded by the stress of their personal financial situation, a report from the Canadian Payroll Association says. Association president Peter Tzanetakis said the annual survey paid increased attention to how much time Canadian employees are distracted by their personal financial situation. Nearly one-quarter of nearly 4,285 employed people surveyed said they agreed or strongly agreed that stress about personal finances had an impact on their performance at work, with about 70 per cent indicating such matters occupy up to 30 minutes of a typical work day. Watch: Money stress is real ― even more so for women, study says. Story continues below.

And about 43 per cent of respondents agreed that “stress related to personal finances has had an impact on my workplace performance.” The rising costs of living and overwhelming debt were among the biggest sources of stress identified by the online survey conducted by Framework Partners between April 24 and June 18. “The key message has always been that ... over 40 per cent of Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque,” Tzanetakis said in an interview ahead of the survey’s release Wednesday. “But as the survey has evolved over the years, we’ve gone a little bit deeper to understand some of the sources of the financial stress ― and also some solutions as well.”