Research from Employment Hero finds that employees are burnt out and lacking work-life balance, with many citing the rising cost of living as a key driver of stress.
By Maggie Mancini
Research from Employment Hero finds that, while burnout among Singaporean employees has dropped slightly since 2022 (62%), more than half of employees still report still report experiencing it (61%). As a result, employers have ramped up efforts to address workplace mental health since the pandemic.
In 2022, 57% of employees rated their work-life balance as average or poor. After organisations worked to bring being back into office buildings, that has dropped to just 56% in 2024, the report finds. This indicates that more needs to be done to help improve work-life balance across the country.
While work-life balance has barely improved and burnout remains high, 47% of Singaporeans rate their productivity as high compared to 43% in 2022. Similarly, nearly half (49%) of employees rate their employers’ commitment to wellness as good. This is compared to 45% in 2022, the report finds.
More than three-quarters (76%) of Singaporeans are satisfied with the working relationships they have with their colleagues, with just 9% saying they feel dissatisfied. Further, 68% of Singaporeans are satisfied with the working relationship they have with their manager.
When it comes to the major sources of stress for Singaporean employees, 27% indicate that financial stress and the cost of living was by far the main source of stress in the past three months. Apart from financial stress, employees are struggling with overwhelming professional workloads (20%) and professional burnout (15%).
Nearly half (46%) of Singaporeans would consider changing jobs if their employer directed them to return to the office full-time, and the study reveals that the top perk employees are looking for is remote work and flexible working arrangements. Other than remote work, employees want improved rewards and recognition programmes (16%) as well as annual allowances to spend on healthcare, fuel, utilities, and groceries (16%).
