Report Says Many Malaysians Are on the Verge of Burnout

According to PwC Malaysia, only 28% of Malaysian respondents can disconnect from work outside of working hours, weekends and make full use of their annual leaves. Meanwhile, 55% prefer a mostly virtual work environment. 

The report, titled PwC's Hopes and Fears Survey 2021, shows that to prevent burnout, sustain motivation, and deliver high performance, there must be balance in the workplace. Technology has made it easier for employees to work anytime and anywhere, but it has also made it hard for them to disconnect.

It is understandable why people want to shift to hybrid or virtual work model permanently. Working from home allows us to save time on commuting and the flexibility to attend to family obligations, said PwC. 

PwC also said that burnout did not originate from the pandemic. However, it has increased the chance of employees experiencing its symptoms because of the blurring of boundaries between personal and work lives.

Past PwC studies have found that employees are struggling to cope during the pandemic. They said that they feel the pressure to be always on and that their physical and mental well-being have deteriorated.

 

Managing stress

Unfortunately, this study also showed that only 25% said their employer helped them manage stress and focus on improving mental and emotional well-being. Only 22% of them were encouraged to take short breaks during working hours.

The scheduling of back-to-back calls have become a normal occurence during the lockdown, likely leading to meeting fatigue. The research added that technology enabled this ease in communication, fundamental to team cohesion.

Source: The Edge Markets

The research also pointed out that without their employers' supervision, employees thought they must prove that they are not slacking, making them work longer after hours.

The report hinted that there are underlying issues for why the employees feel this way. For instance, anxiety over job security or thinking that their superiors do not trust them. 

Though productivity and efficiency are essential, companies cannot ignore their employees' physical and mental well-being, it added.

PwC said that employers must focus on their employees to become a people-first organisation. Businesses must identify the root cause of workplace stress. This action will lead to long-term results instead of relying heavily on feel-good fixes that give employees temporary satisfaction.

"As much as technology is a lifeline in keeping people at work and an enabler for business continuity, certain barriers still persist," Nurul A'in Abdul Latif, the Markets Leader of PwC Malaysia stated.

She said that employers can't ignore the fact that there is a real risk of burnout within Malaysia's workforce.

 

Improving employee wellbeing

Studies found that performance decreases when employees work for long hours without a break. The report recommended employers to:

• Minimise meetings, 
• Be mindful of when they email, 
• Encourage short breaks, 
• Urge employees to take entitled leave, and 
• Provide employees with a channel to share their feelings. 

The report added that care packages and activities such as virtual gathering can improve employee morale, but it is only a short-term fix. Only solutions that strike at the source of workplace stress can be effective in preventing burnout permanently. 

2,003 Malaysians were a part of the 32,517 respondents surveyed worldwide across 19 territories, from Jan 26 to Feb 8, 2021. The global survey covered workers, business owners, contract workers, students, unemployed people looking for work, and those on furlough or temporarily laid-off.

 

Source: The Edge Markets

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