Workplace unhappiness; Workplace stress;

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Work stress comes in many ways…

What is the motto “Work with the aim to help others become more efficient”?

More at this link:

https://tankoktim.wordpress.com/…/work-with-the-aim-to…/

And,… https://tankoktim.wordpress.com/…/workplace-sexual…/

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Forum: It’s not the work, it’s the work environment that causes stress

UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO on 1st Feb 2023 in ST Forum.

I read the article, “Quitting is the wrong way to deal with burnout” (Jan 26), and the Forum letter, “Tackle the root cause of workplace stress at company level” (Jan 28), with great interest.

From my 38 years of corporate life experience, more than half in senior management, I would venture that people generally do not fear work, even hard work, if they operate in a conducive and supportive environment.

This has to do with the corporate culture of an organisation.

In many companies, stress and anxiety, which can lead to burnout, stem from factors like office politics, bickering, gossip and jealousy.

This may be exacerbated by the boss busy playing his own political games to ensure his career longevity, at times breaking rules he set, and leaving his subordinates to clean up the mess.

Then there are supervisors who, instead of working themselves out of their jobs to give subordinates a chance to move up, feel threatened by good performers and drive them out of the organisation.

So burnout is not the product of stressful work. Rather, the stress arises from an unconducive, unsupportive, or even hostile, environment.

Employees are more likely to stay if they are happy, do not feel threatened and value the organisation as a place worth working in, where they can grow and thrive.

The whole organisation, led by management, must believe and work to achieve this.

Lawrence Loh Kiah Muan.

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Forum: Leaders should cultivate meaningful relationships with employees to reduce workplace stress

UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO on 1st Feb 2023 in ST Forum.

Companies can leverage employee engagement surveys by including questions that can identify what is stressing employees out (Tackle the root cause of workplace stress at company level, Jan 28).

The survey findings need to be properly followed up on so that the employees feel that their feedback is being heard, valued and acted on. Otherwise, they would just see such a survey as a paper exercise and a waste of time.

Leaders should cultivate meaningful relationships with their employees through regular, informal conversations. They should help employees feel comfortable to speak up about their challenges and anxieties at work, and not judge or shut down their feedback.

Leaders could ask how they can help their employees do their job better, as well as share what kind of help they need from their employees. This two-way communication will foster mutual understanding and a meaningful working relationship.

It will also lead to an alignment of work demands and performance expectations between the leaders and the employees, and reduce workplace stress and burnout.

Jasmine Liew Chia Wei

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Workplace stress…

Why humans work?

What is the purpose of working?

What is “Work with the aim to help others become more efficient”?

Who should hang up this Motto?

Istana, Parliament, schools, unis, places of worship, NTUC, MOM, etc?

More at this link:

https://tankoktim.wordpress.com/2015/11/08/work-with-the-aim-to-help-others-to-become-more-efficient/

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Forum: Tackle the root cause of workplace stress at company level
UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO on 28th Jan 2023 in ST Forum.

I refer to the article, “Quitting is the wrong way to deal with burnout” (Jan 26).

It raises a pertinent issue currently faced by many of us at the workplace: the risk of burnout as a result of heightened stress levels at work.

The Covid-19 pandemic led to higher stress levels, which are now being exacerbated by the current economic conditions.

With inflation remaining high, a lot of businesses are now struggling to stay afloat. Employees are being asked to do more with less, and to do it faster.

Companies have tried to address these higher stress levels at workplaces by putting out messages on mental wellness.

They are reminding their employees to prioritise their mental health, and organising talks on stress management, emotional regulation and relaxation techniques.

Are these individual-level solutions enough? Should we instead address the root cause?

We should create workplaces where people can thrive and experience positive mental health, where they can work for years without facing burnout or illness due to myopic management practices in the workplace.

We must avoid reinforcing what the article calls “the dangerous narrative that employees simply need to be more resilient”.

Companies have developed elaborate mechanisms to track their progress on environmental sustainability. How about tracking the sustainability of companies’ treatment of workers?

We should care more about people, not just endangered species, as we think about the impact of companies’ activities on their environment.

Workplace stress and its health consequences affect everyone, including the companies themselves. Stress has an adverse impact on employee engagement, satisfaction, turnover and performance.

Jude Ang Hock Guan.

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What are the main underlying causes of workplace unhappiness and stress? Is it just about kickbacks? (“Workers urged to report bosses demanding kickbacks”; yesterday).
There are all kinds of harassment and bullying at workplaces.
Some bosses ask for sexual favours; others ask for a regular cut of the pay, a pay rise or sales commission, when foreigners are employed.
Such practices will affect workplace morale and productivity.
I hope the Manpower Ministry will make it mandatory for all employment agencies and workplaces to display signs encouraging employees to provide feedback on malpractices.
We must make greater efforts to stamp out illegal workplace practices if we wish to improve our productivity.

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I refer to “Workers urged to report bosses demanding kickbacks” in ST Forum, 16 April.

 

What are the main underlying causes of workplace unhappiness?  Is it just about kickbacks?

There are all kinds of sexual harassment and bullying at workplaces.

Some bosses resort to asking sexual favours from the opposite sex [many are FTs] in return for getting into their good books.

Other bosses or supervisors ask for a regular cut, a share in the starting pay, a pay rise, or sales commission [where blackmailing is involved] from the FTs and FWs.

 

Some even ask for half the amount, not one off in sharing the sum, but perpetually and monthly.

 

Such immoral practices will affect workplace morale and productivity.

 

It will cause disrespect and contempt by the victim against the perpetrator and the image of Singapore and Singaporeans as a whole.

 

I hope MOM will make it mandatory for all employment agencies and workplaces [in employees’ canteen, rest areas or rest rooms] where there are migrant workers [for FWs and FTs] to display clear instructions [in various appropriate foreign languages] to encourage feedback on malpractices and illegal practices.

 

We must make greater efforts to stamp out illegal workplace practices if we wish to improve our national productivity.

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Happiness and Work, are they closely interlinked?

Why humans seek happiness, and why humans have to work?

All humans seek happiness from the time of birth till the time of physical death.

All seek the bluebird of happiness. At the end, some end up empty handed, disillusioned, and disappointed.

There are strict rules for seeking happiness like there are strict rules when one plays a set of chess game. No two ways about it.

Humans want happiness as it is stemmed in our soul. We are spiritual beings first in this physical world as human beings working to fill this earth with only happy people as our main mission.

No one works very hard to have more unhappiness. No one. Never.

Ultimately, by seeking happiness, all aspects of human lives, our endeavours and desires must work on ‘happiness as the base’. Selfishness will not bring the desired result. The opposite will happen, and some will self invite pain and suffering.

Divine government or a Utopian society is the base upon which humans can attain uncollapsible happiness, which all seek. Seeking happiness by all humans is fixed, given, and it is not possible for anyone to change this as they like.

If divine government [encompassing all, from science, to religion, politics, business, medicine, education, etc.] is not attained, happiness will not be possible on earth. Happiness will remain elusive in the physical world of humans.

World peace, religious peace, and political peace, etc., though many pray for it including many in religions are praying hard for it, will remain a dream or deception to all mankind.

How blind can humans be in seeking happiness for self but not knowing where true happiness stems from?

Some humans cause unhappiness while seeking happiness for self. How egoistic and arrogant can humans be? How contradictory can we be?