SINGAPORE: One Singaporean worker is already wondering if it is time to throw in the towel after just two weeks at her new job.
She shared that she’s still new, barely settled in, and yet, since day one, she has been clocking out at 8 or 9 p.m almost every single night. Not because she wants to impress anyone. Not because there’s some huge once-in-a-lifetime project. But because that’s apparently just how things are done there. Overtime is the norm, not the exception.
She also said that there’s no extra pay for those extra hours. Not a single cent. She also cannot claim travel fare after staying late. So after working past 8 or 9 PM, she still has to pay out of pocket to get home, only to reach around 10 PM or even later.
“Yesterday I managed to complete my work by around 5:50 p.m., and I thought I could be able to leave work on time, but no… my colleagues put another file on my table, and yeah, I need to OT,” she said.
“I’m just so exhausted, and I don’t think I can handle it for long.”
Although the hiring manager had briefly mentioned that overtime might occasionally be required, she said she did not expect the workload and office culture to be this demanding.
“I know most of you will ask me to quit only once I get another offer or talk to my supervisor. But I don’t think it works, as the team I’m in are all doing overtime, so I can’t just leave the office when it’s 6 p.m… I just feel very tired.”
Still, despite being exhausted by her schedule, the woman admits that she’s still hesitating to leave because she’s afraid she’ll be letting down the supervisor who trained her himself. There is also the very real fear of the current job market. What if she quits and cannot find something else quickly? What if this is just how things are everywhere?
Unfortunately, stories like this are not uncommon. Many companies constantly ask their employees to work overtime without necessarily offering additional compensation or support.
For new employees, especially, the pressure can feel even heavier. There is that unspoken need to prove yourself and to show that you are capable. So even when you are exhausted, you stay. Even when you know you finished your tasks, you hesitate to stand up at 6 PM because everyone else is still seated.
But where do we draw the line? When do we say enough is enough? When can you tell that you’re overworked?
Signs you may be overworked
Medical experts say that beyond stress, warning signs of overwork include constant fatigue, poor or disrupted sleep, anxiety before starting the workday, and difficulty switching off after office hours.
Struggling to keep up with everyday responsibilities because of job-related stress, or feeling increasingly distant from friends and family, can also signal that you are overworked.
The effects of overworking
Employees become less efficient
It might sound logical that the more hours you put in, the more you get done. But research from Stanford University found that productivity per hour drops sharply once employees work more than 50 hours a week. After 60 hours, the decline becomes even more severe.
So while it may look like someone is being productive because they are staying late, the quality and efficiency of their work may actually be decreasing. Pushing people to work longer does not automatically mean better results.
Employees become more prone to accidents
When you’re tired, it’s harder to focus and react quickly. A study published in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Journal found that consistently working overtime was linked to a 61 per cent higher injury rate.
Working 12 hours or more in a day was associated with a 37 per cent increased hazard rate, while clocking 60 hours a week meant a 23 per cent increase.
More employees skip work
When employees are asked to work extra hours all the time, they get stressed, their mental health suffers, and their bodies start to feel the strain. This often leads them to skip work the next day.
Employees start leaving
Most people aren’t going to stick around at a place that treats their well-being as an afterthought, unless the paycheck is huge. Usually, when employees feel taken for granted and constantly overworked, it’s only a matter of time before they start looking for something better.
Employees face serious health risks
According to the World Health Organization, working long hours is not just tiring. It is a health hazard. Employees who work 55 hours or more per week face a 35 per cent higher risk of stroke and a 17 per cent higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease. Long working hours have also been linked to high blood pressure and diabetes.
Read also: She earned S$7K, he was jobless: How an income gap drove a Singapore couple apart
