Breaking hustle culture: Whose responsibility is it?

HUSTLE culture, burnout, anxious attachment and now, quiet quitting, are all workplace phenomena that have received much attention thanks to the pandemic, an unstable economy, and evolving hybrid working game plans.

Although acknowledging the influence of work on mental health and wellbeing has become more commonplace, implementing coping measures and preventative care to help those who are struggling or unwell is an important yet underserved part of addressing all aspects of the mental health spectrum.

During a recent Parliament debate, Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary addressed concerns regarding employee welfare – and the taskforce proposed improving vocational training and job opportunities for those with mental health conditions, amongst other suggestions.

Additionally, the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) reported a decline in mental and emotional health amongst Singaporeans, particularly those in their 20s and 40s, while our recent study on “Hustle Culture” with Milieu Insight found that on average, Singapore employees report the lowest levels of engagement and job satisfaction in comparison to Filipino and Indonesian respondents.

In fact, 50 per cent of employees have reported feeling burnt out from work at least a few times a month, with 41 per cent “often” or “always” feeling as though they cannot stop thinking about work.

Although Singapore’s rise-and-grind culture is what local talent have become accustomed to, it doesn’t have to remain this way. Instead, a more proactive and holistic approach to mental health is arguably the best way to steer away from hustle culture.

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Friday, 3 pm

Thrive

Money, career and life hacks to help young adults stay ahead of the curve.

Sign Up

How employers can lead by example

The World Health Organization found that for every dollar that employers invest in mental health treatment, their employees and businesses show a four-fold improvement in health and productivity.

Employers, leaders and HR set the tone for company culture, and so the first step leaders should take is establishing a culture of openness when talking about employee wellbeing. Sally Mounir, a psychotherapist and counsellor, says workplace culture starts from the top down.

“For example, if bosses regularly work more than 60 hours a week and send emails at dawn, younger employees get the impression that they need to work long hours if they want to get promoted. If you’re a manager, an HR manager or CEO, I would highly recommend that you lead by example and show people that you don’t need to work around the (clock) to accomplish (things),” she says.

Leading by example is critical for senior staff members when it comes to engaging other staff in the conversation.

This approach worked particularly well for ShopBack, where leaders offered scalable, personalised and proactive solutions via Intellect to empower employees to make mental health care a daily habit through resources such as journaling and behavioural coaching for managers and employees.

One of the company’s former leaders shared that a priority during Covid-19 was to get a sense on the ground through engagement surveys and one-on-one chats, to pre-emptively assess employee needs before they became larger issues.

With the knowledge of key pain points (isolation, loneliness and fear for personal wellbeing, for example), he also actively encouraged employees to use Intellect as a technical resource for in-depth, individualised mental health care. Within a month, 33 per cent of ShopBack’s employees became active users of this resource, which included coaching, guided journals and on-demand rescue sessions. ShopBack eventually extended this resource to employees’ dependents too.

What can employees do to help themselves?

Singaporean work culture has always historically emphasised hard work (38 per cent of “Hustle Culture” study respondents often work beyond their job’s requirements, and 33 per cent feel like they can’t stop thinking about work), and this could be why just under half of Singapore respondents claim to feel burnt out at least a few times a month.

But beyond companies implementing change from the top-down, there’s also an onus on employees to utilise the resources provided and engage leaders to address concerns about workplace culture or wellbeing.

Business leaders and HR have been the de-facto therapist to assuage employees’ anxieties and ensure wellbeing in a time of shifting goalposts and evolving demands. However, every individual can play a part in helping their colleagues and teammates fight against hustle culture. A rule of thumb for leaders, managers and HR would be to approach, listen and support employees.

Leaders can take the first step in approaching employees to ask how they can initiate support, lend a listening ear, provide emotional support and if needed, to encourage them to seek professional help.

For example, Omnicom cultivates a sense of employee belonging and wellbeing not only through offering access to mental health services, but also getting its leadership and employee resource groups to plan programmes around the topic of mental health to offer learning and intra-organisation engagement opportunities.

When 39 per cent of employees work beyond their office hours at least once a week (and 12 per cent do so almost every day), they need to unlearn ingrained habits and redefine boundaries.

One tip that behavioural health coaches and workplace psychologists recommend includes practising self-compassion. When faced with negative emotions, engaging in positive self-talk mantras can be reassuring, or individuals can practise managing items and tasks within their control, rather than worrying about things that are beyond their scope of influence.

Making mental health a priority is easier said than done for the average employee, but small steps towards this can make big changes over time.

For example, staff can feel comfortable having candid conversations about their current state of wellbeing and workplace struggles, or arrange for one-on-one meetings with managers for professional guidance. When done right, coaching provides greater intrinsic motivation – in other words, inspiring the self-directed willingness to try new things and make new discoveries.

According to McKinsey, when employees find greater intrinsic motivation, they are 32 per cent more committed to their work and 46 per cent more satisfied with their jobs.

Building a mentally resilient workforce and changing workplace culture takes time. There is no magic pill to resolve ongoing challenges in workplace fatigue, burnout and employee mental health, but leaders taking a systems-based approach to encourage proactive and habitual mental health care is a first step.

Happy workers have been shown to be more productive – and an empowered workforce is more likely to realise their full potential at work and bring greater value to the team. The bottom line is that employees need to feel safe with their managers, and take cue from leadership in how they go about prioritising their mental health.

The writer is CEO and co-founder of Intellect