‘I was simply too tired’: Singaporeans burnt out from long hours, working on days off and unreasonable bosses
Multiple surveys in recent years have pointed to the prevalence of workplace burnout in Singapore. From headaches, insomnias and crying in the office, some workers tell CNA TODAY of the exhaustion, while experts suggest what needs to be done to address this.
Numerous workplace wellness surveys in recent years have highlighted how burnt out workers in Singapore are. (Photo: CNA/Raj Nadarajan)
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As a worker in her early 20s, Ms Valerie Yuam expected herself to be full of energy and having a zest for life, even after a hard day's work.
Then, just five years after entering the workforce and being "always on the ball", the writer found herself losing steam.
Feature articles that would usually take her a day or two to write, would take her up to a week to complete as she found herself "unable to write anything" at times.
"I felt that nothing I was writing resonated with me anymore," the 25-year-old told CNA TODAY.
She also found herself being "super irritable" and what started as not wanting to talk to anyone in the morning would drag on to mid-day where she would "zone out" during lunches with colleagues.
The heavy workload at a music publication and later on at an independent online news outlet led to her gradual burnout, eating away at her energy and motivation levels.
It did not help that she had a side hustle handling public relations projects for artistes, which effectively saw her working past midnight on most weekdays.
