Better employee well-being leads to higher productivity, lower burnout

KUALA LUMPUR - After struggling with mounting workloads and work-related anxiety for two years, former creative writer and marketing executive Clarissa (not her real name) finally tendered her resignation last month.

The 29-year-old said she had endured emotional exhaustion and burnout after being overwhelmed by work demands, which gradually affected her mental well-being and personal life.

Almost every night, she would wake up abruptly, anxious about what awaited her at work the next day, particularly the pressure from her supervisor at the publishing company where she worked.

Clarissa, who joined the company in 2022, said she initially enjoyed her job and was passionate about her work, but the situation changed after a work-from-home (WFH) policy was introduced in 2024.

"At first, I was very happy when I was allowed to work from home two to three times a week. But I found my workload increasing significantly over time.

"More and more tasks were given to me because I was considered efficient, to the point that I frequently had to sacrifice my days off to complete assignments and respond to office messages. Eventually, people began assigning me duties that were not even related to my actual job scope,” she said.

She said the constant criticism over minor mistakes, coupled with the expectation to remain available even during leave days, left her emotionally and physically drained.

Now searching for a new job, Clarissa hopes her future employer will place greater emphasis on employee well-being and work-life balance.

In another case, Minah (not her real name), a 33-year-old former human resource executive, said she endured mental distress as her employer publicly humiliated her in front of her colleagues, even over minor mistakes.

"This may be common in Asian workplace culture, but it is unacceptable because it does not solve the problem. Instead, it affects employees’ mental health and makes them unhappy in their workplace.

"Every job requires teamwork, and it is important for employees to have a good relationship with their superiors. That is why I decided to resign to protect my mental health,” she said, adding that she has a new job now with flexible working hours.

Many employees experience work-related stress and burnout due to excessive workloads, long working hours, unrealistic expectations and continuous pressure to meet deadlines.

Studies done in Malaysia show an increase in workers reporting burnout.

According to human resource platform Employment Hero’s Wellness at Work Report, 67 per cent of workers reported experiencing burnout in 2024, increasing from 58 per cent in 2022.

Jobstreet by Seek’s Workplace Happiness Index 2026 report, based on 2025 data, shows that although seven in 10 Malaysian workers were happy at work, stress and burnout remained persistent concerns.

The findings indicate that workplace happiness is often driven by fundamentals such as work environment, colleagues and daily responsibilities.

The report, launched last month, was based on responses from about 1,000 individuals aged 18 to 64. Forty-one per cent of respondents reported feeling burnt out or exhausted; and while 68 per cent found their jobs fulfilling, only 36 per cent were satisfied with their stress levels.

Three in 10 workers remained either unhappy or neutral about their jobs. Among those who were unhappy, 71 per cent said a better work-life balance would improve their well-being, second only to higher pay, highlighting the impact of unmanaged stress on productivity and long-term outcomes.

Health issues

Meanwhile, Sunway Medical Centre resident medical officer and certified lifestyle medicine physician Dr Wee Hui Yin said the emphasis on productivity in the workplace has led to more people developing chronic stress and burnout, which increase their chances of developing non-communicable diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and hypertension.

She said medical check-ups often fail to detect many of the health issues caused by stress, but the patients concerned frequently show signs of stress during their medical consultations and history evaluation sessions.

"Many of them don't call it burnout, but it appears as fatigue, irritability, sleep issues, and lower tolerance at work and home,” she told Bernama in a written interview.

Dr Wee said these patients can also experience psychological distress where they develop depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances and dangerous drinking habits, which can ultimately create additional health threats for them.

"Stress also causes inflammation and stiffening of the arteries, which helps explain why some people develop heart problems even without obvious risk factors,” she said.

She added that company health screening programmes will not achieve meaningful results if they focus only on annual tests, without appropriate post-screening medical follow-up and lifestyle interventions.

"Some patients come every year, but their results remain the same. Often, it is not due to lack of awareness, but a lack of time, guidance and support, accompanied by long working hours, poor routines and the feeling of not knowing where to start,” she added.

She said to improve employees’ physical and mental well-being, employers should offer practical support like childcare services, clear work boundaries and self-care to reduce their stress levels.

Flexibility

Commenting on employee well-being, cloud-based business application platform Kintone’s Southeast Asia managing director Tsubasa Nakazawa said leaders (managers and supervisors) play a crucial role in reducing workplace friction by ensuring their teams have clear priorities, accessible information and transparent workflows.

"Usually they (leaders) don’t leave their teams guessing, and they will create clearer priorities and ensure work can move forward without employees having to constantly chase visibility or rely on informal access to managers,” he said.

Nakazawa said organisations that establish clear ownership, transparent project visibility and proper documentation tend to create a more stable and productive work environment.

"When teams have shared visibility over projects and decisions are properly documented, employees spend less energy trying to prove they are working and more energy actually moving the work forward,” he said.

He added that in workplaces with flexible working arrangements, office time should also become more purposeful, focusing on mentoring, collaboration and problem-solving rather than serving as the default location for all tasks.

"In workplaces where flexibility functions smoothly, people understand what they are accountable for, how decisions are made, where information sits and how collaboration happens.

"The leaders who make it work well are those who create structure, clarity and trust in ways that allow flexibility to support performance rather than compete with it,” he added.

Jobstreet by Seek managing director Nicholas Lam said to strengthen employee well-being, employers should clearly connect their (employees’) daily responsibilities to the organisation’s broader mission and values, helping them see how their work makes a meaningful impact.

"Employers should foster (work) environments that help reduce stress and burnout, where employees feel valued, motivated and supported to do their best work,” he said in a statement to Bernama, adding that when employers invest in purpose-driven roles and supportive cultures, and listen to the diverse needs of their workforce, the impact is tangible, translating to higher engagement, productivity and retention.

Co-founder and chief executive officer of co-working space provider Infinity8 Lee Sheah Liang said that as workplace burnout becomes increasingly common, many employees are now seeking more conducive work environments that offer flexibility, purpose and breathing space, instead of the rigid structure associated with traditional offices.

Lee said co-working spaces provide employees with ready-to-use facilities, including furniture, high-speed Internet access and dedicated working areas, allowing them to simply clock in and begin work immediately.

"In co-working spaces such as Infinity8, we also provide quiet pods for those who need to focus, while employees who need to brainstorm ideas can use collaborative meeting rooms to work more efficiently,” he said in an interview with Bernama.

Meanwhile, Dr Wee summed up workplace well-being by saying, "Being at work longer doesn’t necessarily make employees more effective. Healthy employees are (ultimately) more productive, which is why seeking help promptly is important.” - BERNAMA