Singaporeans to work more hours than normal in the next three years

40% of employers expect them to.

The Towers Watson 2012 Global Talent Management and Rewards Survey found that employees continue to experience high levels of stress at work. Close to half (45%) of Asia Pacific respondents indicate that employees often experience excessive pressure in their job.

This is slightly lower than the global average of 48%. Interestingly, significantly less Singapore respondents (38%) indicate that employees often experience excessive pressure in their job.

When it comes to the amount of time spent at work, a greater proportion of respondents from companies in Singapore (57%) indicate that employees have been working more hours than normal in the past three years, compared to respondents from Asia Pacific (38%).

A greater proportion of respondents from companies in Singapore (40%) also indicate that they expect employees to work more hours than normal in the next three years, compared to respondents from Asia Pacific (28%).

“Employers are essentially aspiring for higher levels of performance while at the same time depleting the fuel that powers the engine of the organisation. Asking employees to continue in this mode is unsustainable for individual employees as well as the organisation itself. We are already seeing significant gaps in enabling and energising employees – both of which sustain engagement.

Our recent Global Workforce Study revealed that only 39% of employees in Asia Pacific and 28% of employees in Singapore are highly engaged at work. This signals a critical tipping point and employers need to take concrete steps and strike the right balance between employee preferences and employee needs, and in crafting an employee value proposition that helps to attract and retain talented and critical-skill employees while also engaging the broader workforce,” concluded Dhritiman Chakrabarti, Asia Pacific Leader of Rewards at Towers Watson.