A new study has found that Singapore is the most overworked country in the Asia Pacific region, with workers clocking in 45 hours per week. This is three hours more than the country ranked number two, China, where employees work 42 hours weekly.
When it comes to average annual leave, Singapore is also among the countries with the fewest days in the region allotted for this, with just seven. Lower still are Thailand and China, which only have an average annual leave of six and five days respectively.
The culture of overwork in Singapore has resulted in 73 per cent of Singaporean employees expressing they’re unhappy, the study showed, adding that 62 per cent of the country’s workers are experiencing burnout.
The study was conducted by The Instant Group, a workspace innovation firm based in the United Kingdom, the Singapore Business Review (SBR) reported on June 8 (Wednesday).
The Instant Group suggested the following steps to fight the culture of overwork, which include: teaching managers to discern signs of burnout and overwork, creating a culture of unplugging from work at day’s end and on weekends, encouraging open discussions on work-life balance, and offering more agile and flexible work options.
Another important finding from The Instant Group’s study is that over three-quarters of workers (76 per cent) in Singapore desire a four-day work week to combat overworking.
The study echoes a survey by the DBS and Singapore Management University (SMU) in March of this year, which showed that more Singaporeans prioritise their livelihoods over life.
The survey showed the livelihood over life debate ratio to be at 3:3, meaning that for every individual who put life over livelihood, there are three people who put livelihood over life.
In December of last year, this ratio was at 2:6, SBR reported.
Netizens commenting on a Reddit thread on Singapore’s culture of overwork cited their own experiences.
One Redditor summed it up this way: “Green is the grass, wet is the water. Overworked is the sinkie.”
/TISG