When considering the human experience in 2022, what came to mind?
We would have guessed that Covid-19 was the first thing that appeared, along with the ongoing spread of the Omicron variant. With a stabilising situation, restrictions were due to be gradually relaxed over the coming weeks. Even so, many were feeling an unnerving mix of uncertainty, concern, and relief as that next stage was entered. We were glad to be moving forward, but what lay ahead remained unclear.
The rising cost of living and inflation were also impacting day-to-day life. With fuel and food costs escalating quickly, communities were feeling the pressure after two already economically challenging years.
Malaysian industries had also been rocked by the worldwide phenomenon of the Great Resignation. Our Employee Movement and Retention survey from September 2021 signalled that 61% of Malaysian workers would be looking for a new role within the next 12 months. Employees were questioning the type of work they were doing and thinking about how they could seek fulfilment in their professional lives.
These occurrences were exerting a substantial influence on employees. Their effects had the potential to significantly impact a sense of well-being, permeating into every facet of life – including work.
What’s in the report?
- We cast our minds back to 2021
- The seven dimensions of wellness
- The key findings
- Mental health and the pandemic
- Career health and the Great Resignation
- Financial health and a fluctuating market
- Are we supporting working parents?
- The big picture on employee health
- Survey demographics and methodology
The Wellness at Work Report’s key findings
KEY LEARNING: Employees are loyal to workplaces that care about wellness
We know that employers like to witness returns on their investments, particularly concerning small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). It was essential to ascertain that the efforts were yielding results.
The signs were evident; we discovered that employees who had rated their employer’s commitment to wellness as good were 32% more likely to express loyalty to a business. Those who had rated their employer’s commitment to wellness as poor were 280% more likely to state that they did not feel loyal to their employer. This could have potentially saved substantial costs linked to turnover and could have made a significant impact on a growing company.
The majority of workers were struggling with burnout at work
In the realm of mental health, burnout spread like wildfire across the working population. Workers had been experiencing this overwhelming fatigue as of late, with 58% signalling that it had impacted them within the preceding three months. Only 15% were confident that they did not experience any burnout from their work.
The pandemic had many employees questioning their careers
Fifty percent of workers agreed that Covid-19 had decreased the importance they placed on their careers. Aligned with the phenomenon of the Great Resignation, this signalled that more workers could have been seeking an industry swap or a move to a different way of working. This could have also been related to the fact that 51% believed that Covid-19 had negatively impacted their careers.
As many had made the transition to remote working during the pandemic, they were now contemplating how work could fit around their lives, rather than how their lives could support their work.
Most workers were stressed about finances
Whether it was due to a loss of work, the uncertainty of the pandemic, or rising inflation, Malaysian employees were worried about their finances. A staggering 67% said that they were stressed about money.
The big picture on employee health
As mentioned at the onset of this report, in 2022, we must acknowledge both the positive and negative aspects. When we take a broader perspective on workplace wellness, it becomes evident that businesses are progressing in the right direction, even though there remains ample room for improvement.
What’s uplifting is that → 53% of employees assessed their employer’s commitment to enhancing overall well-being as good, whereas merely → 10% rated it as poor.
Across each focal point, similar patterns are discernible. Encouraging statistics surround businesses’ dedication to wellness, yet substantial instances of average and subpar employer performance still prevail.
Forward-thinking employers understand that, for a team to achieve peak performance, employee well-being must surpass the norm. Thriving and resilient businesses are formed through the contributions of healthy and motivated employees who are provided with an environment conducive to their optimal performance. The data presented in this report validates that such teams are more likely to exhibit productivity, presence, and loyalty.
Report survey demographics and methodology
The findings presented in this report have been derived from a survey organised by Employment Hero.
The 9-minute online quantitative survey was conducted using the Glow Survey platform, and survey responses were collected from the national research panel Dynata.
To complete the survey, respondents had to be employed in Malaysia in any capacity (full-time, part-time, casual).
The survey was conducted using nationally representative quotas for age, gender, and location, but no active quotas were placed on the number of completed surveys.
In total, there were 1,016 survey participants. Of this, 471 working parents were surveyed.
The survey collected responses between the 28th of February 2022 and the 7th of March 2022.
