Malaysian workforce ‘facing record burnout levels’

Published on: Thursday, August 22, 2024

By: FMT Reporters

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Employment Hero’s recent survey emphasises the urgent need for enhanced mental health support and workplace wellness initiatives.

Kuala Lumpur: Now more than ever, Malaysian employers must provide better flexibility and remote-working opportunities to employees. According to the 2024 Wellness at Work Report by global employment platform Employment Hero, two-thirds of the Malaysian workforce are experiencing burnout.

The report, which polled 1,015 Malaysian employees, noted a record rise in employee burnout, from 58% in 2022 to 67% in 2024. This emphasises the urgent need for enhanced mental health support and workplace wellness initiatives.

Millennials are the hardest-hit generation, with 69% experiencing burnout, followed closely by their Gen Z colleagues at 64%.

Work-life balance seems to be the biggest contributor to burnout, with 55% of employees rating their work-life balance as poor or average. That said, 58% of fully remote employees indicated that their overall work-life balance was above average, compared to 44% of hybrid employees and 42% of in-office employees.

The sentiment that flexible working arrangements could potentially pose a solution to rising burnout is echoed throughout the report, with 88% of knowledge workers wanting to work remotely at least one day per week.

Meanwhile, remote/hybrid working is seen as generally better not only for work-life balance, but also for personal finances among the majority of Malaysians. In fact, with only 53% of employees feeling on track with their financial goals, and 49% feeling that their workplaces are not doing enough to support rising living costs, it’s clear financial stress is also a major factor in the rapidly increasing burnout rate.

A potentially brighter future nevertheless appears to be in sight: 52% of employees rated their employer’s commitment to improving overall health and wellbeing as above average, with 77% of Malaysians saying they are satisfied with the working relationship they have with their manager.

With this in mind, allowing for further flexible working options looks to be the primary incentive – apart from pay – that will not only contribute to workplace retention but talent attraction as well.