HW FEATURE
it all becomes too much
to bear. The mounting
stress escalates to burnout,
inevitably.”BLURRED LINES
This also has a lot to do with
the high levels of work-life
integration today, says
Associate Professor Tan
Ern Ser of the National
University of Singapore’s
sociology department.
“Digitisation keeps us
connected 24/7,” he adds.
“The workspace extends
into your own time and
space via the virtual realm
as long as you are connected
on your portable roaming
devices, such as mobile
phones, tablets and laptops.”
Indeed, many continue
to tend to their work e-mails
during vacations, as the
recent results of the Brand
Expedia 2018 Vacation
Deprivation Study shows.
The study was
conducted on 11,000 adults
in full-time employment
across 19 markets, including
300 respondents in
Singapore.
Fifty-three per cent in
Singapore said they stay
connected to their work
while on vacation, and 79
per cent check their e-mail
or voicemail at least once.
THE REASON: Local
respondents felt that their
co-workers expected
them to be available. And
30 per cent – the third
highest after India and
Malaysia – are expected by
their supervisors to be in
“standby” mode.
This is added to the
fact that half of Singapore
workers surveyed said they
take fewer days of annual
leave than the number of
days they’re entitled to.The main reason:
They’re unable to take time
off from work.
Singapore was most
recently ranked 32 out of 40
countries (based on work-
life balance) in a 2019 study
by Kisi, an international
firm offering solutions
for Internet of Things
access control.
Prof Tan says: “Some
may be willing to forgo
work-life balance if the job
promises to be financially
rewarding, say, in five to
10 years.”
But he warns that
the mismatch between
expectations and reality
could blur the lines between
work and play.He says: “Chasing that
attractive prize may be
physically exhausting,
especially if you’re married
with young children. You
have to decide what’s
good enough in terms of
job rewards and lifestyle.
Prioritise family time and
me time, and take care
of your physical and
mental health.”LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
Sarah left the start-up in
her fourth month. She took
a month to “reset” her mind
and body before starting her
next job. Her mantra: Shut
down by 7pm at the office,
and respond to e-mails the
next working day.“Then, I couldn’t
even bring myself to do
the things that I’m good
at, and that is planning
campaigns,” says Sarah,
who has been a business
manager at an electronics
company for the past year.
“Good thing is, I woke
up and asked myself who I
was going through all this
stress for,” recalls Sarah. “I
think you can be successful
without sacrificing your
sanity and health. The first
thing is to listen to your
body, and that’s usually
(what makes it possible
to spot) the red flag that
tells you to pause and ask
if what you’re doing is all
worth it.”114 HERWORLD SEPT 2019