MC? I don’t want

Well, I'm working in Singapore, but I'm not practicing this; I take whatever MC I am given, but only happens very rarely

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As recession bites, S'pore workers are showing up at work despite being sick

05:55 AM May 13, 2009

IN AN ominous finding, a workplace survey has shown that employees here are turning up for work despite being sick, even as Singapore braces for the arrival of the H1N1 virus that is rapidly spreading across the globe.

According to the results of the 2009 Workplace Survey released yesterday by human resource specialists Robert Half, 61 per cent of Singaporean respondents cited a fear of falling behind on their workloads as their greatest concern for showing up when ill, highest among the more than 6,000 polled in 20 countries including the United States and Japan.

Some 52 per cent of the local respondents fear that too many sick days could go against them, while 50 per cent did not want to be perceived by superiors and peers as not working, the highest rates among those surveyed.

And as Singapore's worst recession continues to bite, workers here are feeling increasingly stressed.

Globally, Singapore ranks only second to Japan, with 69 per cent and 71 per cent of respondents, respectively, who expect workplace stress levels to rise this year.

The main reasons cited for the expected increase in stress levels are worries about job security and excessive workloads due to under-staffing. According to the respondents in Singapore, the main effects of rising stress levels are lower staff morale (64 per cent) and lower quality of work or service (37 per cent).

Some 32 per cent also feel that decreased productivity due to stress-related issues would be the most significant cost to the company, followed by increased employee turnover (24 per cent) and a drop in the quality of work or service (19 per cent).

Rising stress levels at work are also taking a toll on employees' personal lives and welfare.

And Singapore again ranked highest globally when it comes to employees checking company emails outside working hours, with 26 per cent spending on average 30 to 44 minutes a day doing this.

From TODAY, Singapore – Wednesday, 13-May-2009

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