Overworking Problem in Singapore Essay Example

Overworking is defined as full-time employees spending more than 48 hours a week at work (ILOSTAT, n.d.). According to Kisi (2021), Singapore was ranked 2nd as the most overworked city, with 25.1% of its population overworked in 2021. Overworking has taken a toll on employees’ mental health in Singapore, with some feeling stressed, depressed and helpless. Employers should never neglect the mental well-being of their employees because it can affect their productivity and efficiency at work. This essay will describe the issue of overworking in Singapore, focusing on working adults under immense pressure due to overworking. It will then evaluate the existing approach recommended by the Singapore government to help employees achieve work-life balance and propose a 4-day work week as an improved measure that can promote the well-being of workers.

In Singapore, there has been an increasing trend of employees feeling burnout and fatigue, especially during the COVID-19 circuit breaker period when working from home (WFH) became the norm (Teo, 2020; Oh, 2021; Yang, 2022). Teo (2020) stated that out of the 1,407 individuals involved in a study, 61% of employees WFH felt overwhelmed compared to 53% of front liners. She suggested that workers WFH had to struggle between juggling work and family simultaneously, leading to them feeling overburdened. Furthermore, Oh (2021) claimed that 7 in 10 staff who participated in a poll mentioned that they felt overworked, and of the 7, one-fifth expressed that they had felt “very stressed” in 2020 and the first three months of 2021. Similarly, one-third of personnel who completed a survey reflected spending almost 10 hours per day at work, which is an 8% increase before COVID-19 (Yang, 2021). He stated that employees might be working longer hours due to the increasing number of tasks, taking over work left by their ex-colleagues and having difficulty striking a work-life balance as they work from home. Even though WFH has its benefits, for instance, spending lesser money and time on travelling, it has inevitably taken a toll on workers’ mental health due to lesser personal time and increased workload. 

One problem with overworking is that it harms the mental and physical wellness of workers and may cause companies to lose their workers (Huang et al., 2020; Mbabazi, 2022). A minority group of staff mentioned that they feel tired and demoralized when working long hours, thus causing them to perform under expectations. Some employees will choose to tender their resignation letters when they feel inundated with the pressure and tension. Therefore, it was claimed that there might be a “positive correlation” between overworking and high employee turnover rates (Huang et al., 2020). Additionally, Mbabazi (2022) indicated that overworking can be damaging to an employee’s mental well-being as it can lead to “depression and anxiety”. She noted that working longer hours may result in some people neglecting their meals and beverages, causing health complications such as dehydration. Hence, some employees may decide to leave a company that requires long working hours to protect their health and mind.