On the brink of burnout: 7 out of 10 employees extremely stressed out by overtime work

Majority of workers are calling for flexible schedules.

Overtime work is the main cause of stress for Singaporean employees, with 73% of workers saying that they are now working outside of office hours more frequently today than before.

A survey by Regus showed that 55% of respondents claimed that they are now more stressed out than just five years ago.

Many workers believe one way of easing the tension associated with demanding jobs is a break from the main office – at least some of the time. A significant majority of global respondents – 74% – found a change of scenery such as working from another location to be a good stress reliever.

In fact, having the freedom to work away from the main office from time to time is now seen as a key factor in achieving a good work-life balance with 68% of respondents believing flexible workers are better off.

The experiences of those lucky enough to be able to work flexibly further support this finding with one in seven saying that they are happier now that they work outside the main office some of the time.

Similarly, freelance workers also tend to be more relaxed according to the research with 68% of those questioned saying that they think freelance workers, with their freedom to change location and set their own hours, are less stressed than regular staff.

The report also found that Singaporean workers do not think that fixed working hours are suited to their duties.