‘I am 100% burnt out’: Healthcare worker shares stress and workload struggles in Singapore

SINGAPORE: After months of relentless stress and overwhelming working conditions, a healthcare worker has shared on social media that she has reached her breaking point.

In her post on the r/askSingapore forum on Tuesday (Mar 17), she explained that she is “100,000% burnt out” from the verbal abuse she receives from her coworkers, particularly the caregivers, and from the frustration of dealing with management, who not only tolerate their toxic behaviour but also “take their side” and “appease” them.

She added that she is being assigned workloads that, under normal circumstances, should be handled by two people. 

“I am so done, and I can’t quit because I am serving out a bond. I’m not a doctor or nurse, but I am still doing frontline work with patients. I can’t take annual leave just to take a break, as there are strict guidelines and systems for AL. I can’t take urgent leave because it requires proof, and [I have] no childcare leave, as I don’t have kids,” she wrote.

Desperate for relief, she turned to the online community for practical advice, asking, “How do I take a break? Legit ways. Please help. I desperately need a break.”

“Just take MC and do a self-care day.”

In the discussion thread, several Singaporean Redditors encouraged her to consider taking medical leave to cope with her stress.

One told her, “Go in and say something along the lines of ‘I am highly stressed and not sleeping well; I really need a break.’ I’ve done it before and asked for 2 days MC. If Doc disagrees, just go next door and repeat.”

Another wrote, “Just take MC and do a self-care day (sleep in, treat yourself to a nice lunch, maybe a facial or massage). I am also in a sector where we can’t take leave (education) and if I didn’t take some self-care days, I would’ve broken my bond long ago.”

Others, meanwhile, advised her to either “quiet quit” or “lie flat,” try raising her concerns to upper management, or just quit.

One user said, “Please raise the issue with your supervisor. This happens a fair bit. And see what work arrangements can be made.”

Another commented, “Health is the priority of everything. If it’s affecting you so badly in terms of health (physical and mental health), it’s no longer worth it. Money can be earned but you can’t get back the years spent suffering.”

A third suggested, “ I’m assuming you can pay out the bond in part or in full. Try to ask friends and family if there’s any possibility of taking a personal loan. Start saving money.”

In other news, a jobseeker took to social media to complain that the quality of job interviews nowadays has become much “lousier.”

He posted on the r/askSingapore forum saying that many interviewers seem to show little respect for the job candidates’ time and effort and behave in an “unprofessional way.”

Read more: Singapore jobseeker complains of rude interviews, says manager laughed at expected salary