Nearly half of workforce feel burnout mainly due to excessive workload: report

Most workers who struggle to stay motivated to work said they felt they were not valued.

Close to half (47%) of Singaporean workers revealed that they felt exhausted both mentally and physically at the end of their workday, according to the mental health index by TELUS Health.

Workers cited excessive workload as the leading cause of burnout (27%), with two-thirds of them having at least one indication of burnout. Other causes were having too many personal demands (16%) and a lack of recognition (13%).

The report found workers under 40 were nearly twice as likely to find it increasingly difficult to be motivated to do their work than workers over 50. 

More than half (52%) of workers also revealed that their employers did not offer employee assistance programs that helped support employees with these experiences, with an additional 25% unsure if these programs were offered or not.

“The mental health scores of workers who don’t know or report that their employer doesn’t offer an EAP is at least three points lower than workers with an EAP,” the report stated.

56% of workers were worried AI might change or eliminate their jobs, but 61% felt that AI will impact their industries positively, with 46% of workers considering upgrading skills relevant to AI. Two-thirds also believe AI will positively impact healthcare.

The report showed that managers and younger workers were 50% more likely to consider upskilling AI related skills than non-managers and workers over 50 years old. 

“I am encouraged by the findings of the latest Index which highlight a growing optimism around the potential of AI to positively impact the workplace. However, it also sheds light on the concerning levels of burnout among workers,” Haider Amir, director in Asia at TELUS Health, said.