Latest news with #worklifebalance
Independent Singapore
20 hours ago
- Business
- Independent Singapore
Work-life balance is still top priority for Singaporeans after 3 years, though Gen X values pay a bit more
Photo: Depositphotos/ Shadow_of_light (for illustration purposes only) SINGAPORE: Work-life balance has remained the most important factor for Singaporean workers when choosing an employer for the third consecutive year, according to the Randstad Employer Brand Research 2025 report. The report surveyed 2,522 Singapore job seekers and employees across various sectors, including healthcare, information and communication technology (ICT), education, engineering, and finance. The survey, conducted by Randstad in partnership with research firm Kantar, was carried out between January and March this year through 14-minute online interviews with individuals aged 18 to 64. According to Malay Mail, citing the survey, Singaporeans across all age groups continue to value work-life balance the most. However, Gen X workers placed slightly more weight on financial compensation. They also place high importance on job security and working for a financially stable company. Still, only around half of the respondents said their current employers are meeting expectations when it comes to providing work-life balance. David Blasco, country director for Randstad Singapore, said work-life balance is likely here to stay for at least the next decade, as 'We will eventually have a job or have different income avenues, which makes work-life balance the true differentiating factor between employers.' Notably, work-life balance is closely tied to employee motivation and engagement, with those experiencing better work-life balance reporting higher job satisfaction and loyalty. On the other hand, poor work-life balance was one of the top reasons people considered leaving their jobs in the past year. Nearly half of all respondents also said they felt disengaged at work, and those who did were 60% more likely to consider leaving their jobs. /TISG Read also: Businesses should address burnout as an organisational problem, expert says Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
Fast Company
a day ago
- Business
- Fast Company
I turned off my phone for a week: Here's why you should too
I run two companies, lead a team of over 20 people, mentor women entrepreneurs, and juggle multiple side projects. As a result, my calendar is filled with calls, meetings, decisions, deadlines, and the constant ping of notifications. For years, I convinced myself that unplugging—even for a day—would be reckless. What if something urgent came up? What if everything collapsed? Eventually, though, I did it. I turned off my phone for seven full days. No email, no WhatsApp, no Slack, no Instagram. Just silence—and, of course, a notebook. This digital detox had a deeper purpose than a conventional holiday. In today's world, being on vacation can mean keeping in touch, even if lightly: answering emails, reading news, scrolling through social media, and so on. We stay in the information bubble, which makes it difficult to tune out the noise. I didn't plan to turn this into a case study. I simply needed a break. What I didn't expect was how deeply restorative and surprisingly productive it would be. My fear was that it would slow me down, but instead, it recalibrated me. And if you're someone who thinks they can't afford to disconnect, that's exactly why you should. Here's a way to start. What the detox looked like Because it was the weekend, I didn't need to make a big announcement. Just four people—my mother, sister, business partner, and assistant—knew how to reach me in case of an emergency. Everyone else was left in the quiet. It was all designed consciously. Part of the detox fell on the weekend, when I did not expect any urgent messages from clients or partners. Also, there were some public holidays, so in the end I only missed one day of work. At the same time, I put my full trust in my team. Our managers are the first point of contact for clients, while my business partner is the go-to touchpoint for employees. Everyone also has my assistant's contact details, so if something truly pressing had come up, they would have easily found out why I wasn't responding. So, late on a Friday night, I shut my phone down, and didn't turn it back on until one hour before my next workday. This buffer gave me space to ease in without anxiety. In case you're wondering, there were no exceptions. The phone wasn't silenced or stashed in a drawer I could access when I needed comfort. It stayed off, completely out of reach. Here's a snapshot of how a day looked like during this period: Mornings started with movement—pilates or a long run—followed by a mindful, unhurried breakfast. Then: hours of reading real books. No articles, no headlines. I took two naps a day for the first 48 hours. It was as if my nervous system had been waiting for permission to rest. By day three, something shifted. I began writing. Not for deadlines, just to think. I filled pages and pages—including my goals for the year, updates to my life balance wheel, forgotten ideas, coaching reflections, and personal values I hadn't revisited in months. Creative clarity came fast, and because I opened the space for it, it stayed. Three lessons I took with me I walked away from my phoneless time with dozens of insights. Of those, three stayed with me, and they've reshaped both how I work and how I lead. #1: Clients are mirrors Every client relationship reflects something back at you. When you're truly present, you start to notice what those reflections are teaching you—where your boundaries are too loose, where your expertise can deepen, what energizes you, and what drains you. We also learn to listen more attentively. As a seasoned PR pro, I know what I need to do to achieve the best possible results—the biggest coverage, the boldest narrative, the most polished story. But over time, I've realized that what I consider 'the best' isn't always what the client actually needs. This shift in perspective changed the way I work, and helped me build deeper relationships with my clients. I can honestly tell I've learned more about myself from client work than from many books or programs. Not because they teach me something directly, but because they hold up a mirror. When we're receptive to it, that relationship becomes a shared process of growth. #2: Choose your energy before the day begins Before I made this shift, my mornings belonged to everyone else. I'd wake up and immediately jump into the noise—emails, deadlines, and messages. I was reacting to the world's demands before I'd even taken a breath. But now, I begin each day with a decision: Who do I want to be today? I started setting a tone for the day, not with tasks, but with intention. Calm. Generous. Creative. Focused. That one quiet choice each morning changed how I navigated everything else. I wasn't reacting, I was leading from the inside out. And when you do that, the world starts meeting you differently. Now, the day feels like mine—not something I'm surviving, but something I'm actively shaping. #3: Don't make decisions just to relieve pressure Many of us, especially high performers, can easily confuse urgency with clarity. We say yes, push forward, launch, commit. Not necessarily because we're grounded, but because we're tense. Stepping away helped me name that pattern. During this time, I realized how often I made choices to soothe discomfort rather than move from vision. Now, before anything, I pause and ask myself—Is this decision coming from a place of power, or from a place of pressure? Why more people should try a phone detox Your brain needs rest. Not scrolling, not content-switching. Real, deep rest. We don't hesitate to give our muscles recovery days after a grueling exercise session. Why can't we do the same with our minds? When we stop consuming content, our brain starts producing it. Ideas resurface. Our vision returns. We reconnect to the version of ourselves that doesn't need noise to feel alive. Silence, as I learned, did not slow me down. It reintroduced me to what matters the most. We frequently imagine disconnection as a luxury. It's not. From this new vantage point, I can say it is a leadership practice. It is how we step back into our lives with discernment, energy, and purpose. Nothing burned down while I was gone. The world kept spinning. And I came back steadier, sharper, and more attuned to those things I hold dearly. If you're still thinking along the lines of, 'I could never take a week off,' that's exactly your sign. There is clarity waiting for you, patiently, on the other side of silence.
Independent Singapore
a day ago
- Health
- Independent Singapore
Businesses should address burnout as an organisational problem, expert says
SINGAPORE: Work-life balance has overtaken salary as jobseekers' top motivator for job satisfaction, according to Randstad's 2025 international survey — and for good reason. In October, Singapore was ranked third among the most burnt-out cities in the world , but what's striking is burnout is not an individual problem and has more to do with organisational culture, standards and expectations, said Dr Athenais Sivaloganathan, Health Advisor for Health & Wellbeing at International SOS. She noted that to prevent burnout in the workplace, businesses must go beyond ad-hoc wellness initiatives and recognise the warning signs of burnout, reverse the damage brought by burnout through managing distress and offering support, and build resilience by helping employees take care of their wellbeing. The Wellness at Work report by Employment Hero last year reported that 61% of Singaporean workers are experiencing burnout , a mere 1% improvement from the 62% recorded in 2022, citing a cutthroat work environment and stigma surrounding mental health issues. In a separate survey, 56% of Singaporean employees said their mental health and wellbeing are not well supported by their employers , with Singapore ranking lowest in Southeast Asia in employee mental health care. What occupational burnout looks like Dr Sivaloganathan said, 'In many cases, burnout is related to one's occupation.' She noted that it is different from the day-to-day short-term stress employees might occasionally feel, but instead it is chronic and a form of exhaustion caused by constantly feeling overwhelmed. 'It results from excessive and prolonged emotional, physical and mental stress,' she added. Dr Sivaloganathan noted that while burnout is more common among employees who feel unsupported or unfairly treated, managers report similar levels of burnout due to blurred boundaries between professional and personal life, especially in hybrid work environments, affecting home, work and social life. Burnout is also not limited to junior staff but felt by leadership teams and middle management, which often face stressors such as decision fatigue, responsibility overload, and pressure to model resilience. 'It is crucial for a workplace to recognise occupational burnout,' she said. How burnout affects employees and teams Signs of burnout in the workplace can include poor working relationships, high levels of absenteeism, staff turnover, work accidents including minor accidents, low productivity levels, poor quality production and high numbers of requests for early retirement. Meanwhile, for individuals, common indicators include feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, decreased engagement, reduced productivity, increased mental distance from one's occupation and can include physical symptoms such as headaches, increased blood pressure, musculoskeletal problems, poor sleep or gastrointestinal issues. Irritability, detachment, cynicism, negativism and feelings of helplessness are also prevalent. Notably, severe stages of burnout may even lead to depression or misuse of alcohol and drugs. Ways businesses can better support burnt-out employees Dr Sivaloganathan advised companies to start with assessing work environment and work design, including reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, clarifying job roles, and ensuring realistic workloads. It can be through: Regular check-ins between managers and team members to identify stressors early and adjust workloads where needed. Recognising employees' contributions to boost their engagement and motivation at work. Normalising flexible work arrangements to promote work-life balance. Leaders leading by example — practising self-care, implementing stress management strategies, and showing that mental health is a priority. Providing training for leaders and managers to identify burnout and equip them with the tools to initiate supportive conversations. According to Dr Sivaloganathan, 'International best practice suggests that mental health should be integrated into the organisation's overall risk and business continuity frameworks and therefore will be embedded into the company culture.' /TISG Read also: 'People need to know we're not underperformers' – Meta employees with 'at or above expectations' ratings surprised by termination
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
‘The Infinite Workday': 5 Signs It's Ruining Your Relationship
Research shows that "the infinite workday" of overworking can slowly interfere with and deteriorate ... More your intimate relationship unless you take preventive actions. Has your partner failed to appear at family gatherings too many times because of a busy workday? Has he promised to spend more time with you and not delivered because he's overloaded at work? Has she said, 'I'll quit working 24/7 tomorrow,' but tomorrow never comes? Or has he stood you up or kept you waiting because he's trying to get caught up? If you answered yes to these questions, 'the infinite workday' could be undermining your relationship. When 'The Infinite Workday' Becomes Work Infidelity Microsoft's 2025 Work Trend Index Annual Report reveals the concept of 'the infinite workday,' where 40% of employees are up by six a.m. checking emails, and by ten p.m. 29% are back into their inboxes. With the emergence of AI and hybrid working, the modern workday has become boundless, stretching from early morning email checks through late evening meetings and weekends, sometimes turning into work infidelity. Ethan's infinite workday was like a weekend lover. He lied to his fiance so he could rendezvous with work at the office: 'I'd tell her I was going to to Dave's to watch the game on a Saturday, and I'd end up in my office working. After calling and not finding me, she'd call the office and say, 'I thought you were going to Dave's. 'I felt like I'd been caught with my hand in the cookie jar.' Jena told me that her marriage revolves around her husband's impossible work schedule, describing how she has lived with loneliness, disappointments, broken promises, anger and chaos. 'Nobody can ever understand my pain when they see the million-dollar house I live in or my beach house, the cars, boat, clothes and travel,' she said. 'I have luxury that some people dream about, and most importantly, I have a dedicated husband who works hard for the family." She describes living like a single mother for her three sons, watching her husband's workday out of control, killing himself working weekends until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning, taking no lunch breaks, conducting business while wolfing down meals, even while in the bathroom. She says on vacations he's unable to relax without working, that he works while driving and has had several accidents. Sara told her husband she'd enrolled in an aerobics class after work to escape his pressure to come home on time. But the truth was, after working overtime online in her office, she changed from business outfit to aerobic garb, tousling her hair and dampening her tights with water to convince her husband she had ended her infinite workday. Research: 'The Infinite Workday' Harms Relationships I led a research team at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, in a series of the first studies on couples in which one partner was caught up in the infinite workday. We found that couples in these marriages are far more likely to divorce than couples when neither party is an infinite worker. Women in infinite workday marriages report far more marital estrangement, emotional withdrawal and thoughts of separation and divorce than women not in infinite workday marriages. Their husbands toil an average of nine and a half more hours a week than the husbands who have work balance. Only 45% of women in infinite workday relationships were still married, compared to 84% of the women not in those marriages. My team repeated the study, asking husbands to rate their marriages. Husbands who perceived their wives as infinite workers are more likely to describe greater incidences of marital estrangement and negative feelings. Together, these two studies suggest that the strength and cohesion of a relationship is associated with the presence or absence of their partner's infinite workday. Signs Of 'The Infinite Workday' In Your Relationship If you're the partner or spouse of someone stuck in 'the infinite workday' cycle where your relationship comes second, your future could be in trouble, and chances are you . . 1. Feel alone, that your infinite working partner has left you with the responsibility of holding the relationship/family together. 2. Notice that your infinite working partner doesn't tolerate obstacles to working. 2. Feel unimportant and minimized, even innately defective, because your partner's workday steals attention from you. 3. Harbor feelings of anger, resentment, sadness and guilt. 4. Live under a distinct set of unwritten and unspoken rules, dictated by your partner's infinite workday. 5. Plan your social life and family activities around your partner's workday. Rebuilding A Relationship From 'The Infinite Workday' Sometimes infinite workers are not fully aware that their extreme workdays are harming their health or relationships, especially if they're working out of fear of layoffs, as many are. So, if the infinite workday starts to infiltrate your relationship, an open conversation is in order to keep it vital. It's important to speak openly and compassionately about your concerns. Find out if your partner shares those concerns and is interested in negotiating boundaries around the amount of time each of you spends working. Create a relationship vision and plan specific times to spend together. One possibility is to agree to carve out an evening hour to be together (without AI, cell phones, Internet or television). Meals are a great time to set boundaries in place and enjoy intimate conversations. See if you can agree that on weekends and vacations infinite workdays are off-limits and working on days-off are the exception instead of the rule. But no matter what, don't put your life on hold for your infinite worker. Many partners and spouses build their lives around their partner's work schedule because they want to feel connected and supportive, which is understandable. But you could be enabling the very behavior you want to stop. And it often leads to more hurt and disappointment. When you're longing to spend time with your partner, the key is to stop postponing your life. If you plan a trip to the zoo with the kids and your partner cancels (for the umpteenth time) because of last-minute job demands, go anyway. Or when he or she promises to be home in time for dinner and never shows, consider eating on time and, instead of putting dinner on the table at midnight, let your partner fix his own meal. Not out of anger, but out of self-care. Refrain from bringing electronic devices when she goes to bed sick, avoid making alibis for her absenteeism or lateness at social functions or family gatherings or covering for her by lying to business associates. And leave the responsibility with your partner to explain her absences. It's counterintuitive, but keeping the plans you make with your infinite partner is often the exact healing medicine your relationship needs. When you go alone, you often get your partner's attention, and it provides the groundwork for positive change. If all else fails, ask your partner to go with you to couples therapy to discuss how the infinite workday is interfering with your relationship. Or seek out a support group or individual counseling on your own.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Singapore workers from Gen Z to Gen X still value work-life balance most, but half say their employers fall short
SINGAPORE, June 26 — For the third consecutive year, work-life balance has topped the list of what makes an employer valuable among Singaporean workers, according to the Randstad Employer Brand Research 2025 report. The survey, conducted by global HR firm Randstad in partnership with research agency Kantar, showed that although work-life balance topped the list across all ages, Gen X respondents placed slightly more emphasis on financial compensation. 'Work-life balance is never going to disappear, at least for the next decade. We will eventually have a job or have different income avenues, which makes work-life balance the true differentiating factor between employers,' David Blasco, the country director for Randstad Singapore, said in the report. Only around half of respondents, however, believe their current employers are meeting expectations on this front, pointing to a persistent gap between employee desires and organisational delivery. The study found that younger generations, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, prioritise work-life balance alongside opportunities for personal growth and flexible working conditions. Gen X workers, while also valuing balance, placed slightly greater emphasis on job security and a financially stable employer. Work-life balance was also closely tied to motivation and engagement, with those enjoying better harmony between work and life reporting higher job satisfaction and loyalty. Conversely, poor work-life balance was among the top reasons cited by respondents for considering resignation in the past year. The research also indicated that employees who feel disengaged — nearly half of all respondents — are 60 per cent more likely to consider quitting their jobs. The report surveyed 2,522 respondents in Singapore aged between 18 and 64 via 14-minute online interviews conducted from January to March 2025. Participants were drawn from various sectors including engineering, finance, healthcare, ICT and education, representing a balanced mix of jobseekers and employees. Now in its 14th edition in Singapore, the annual study aims to help companies strengthen their employer branding strategies by understanding workforce sentiment.
