This year, World Mental Health Day‘s theme is workplace stress. And no doubt about it—Singaporeans are infamous for working long hours. Although the Ministry of Manpower’s minimum hours for full time work is 35 hours per week, 2023’s annual average actual hours is 44.3 hours per week. Though you’d be forgiven if you believe it looks good at work, poor work-life boundaries isn’t healthy for your mental—and physical health.
“Insufficient time for rest inadvertently leads to chronic and pent-up stress, increasing the risk of burnout, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances, which also affects productivity, physical health and relationships with others,” Dr Annabelle Chow, principal clinical psychologist at Annabelle Psychology explains.
Studies also point to poor health as a byproduct of overwork. A 2021 study done across four European countries show an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Another study from Japan shows a correlation between overworking and irritability and anxiety, and a British study shows poor mental health can also reduce earnings.
However, in a fast-paced working culture, this begs the question—how can you achieve work-life balance? The answer lies in setting work-life boundaries. At its core, it’s about adopting strategies to keep work within work hours, and allocating time for rest once the workday ceases. Simply put, working smarter and not harder.
So, in honour of World Mental Health Day, Vogue Singapore, with insight from Dr. Annabelle, share four strategies to set work-life boundaries for minimal workplace stress—and in turn, stronger mental health.
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Prioritise tasks and set realistic timeframes
True, this is easier said than done, especially if you’re in a profession with tight deadlines. However, prioritisation is a great tool for setting work-life boundaries, for it allows for completing assignments in a timely manner, reducing crunch time and allocates extra time for other projects.
“The key ingredients in maintaining work-life balance include efficient time management, self-monitoring of our own stress levels and effectively communicating about our ability to meet workload expectations or deadlines within working hours,” Annabelle explains.
Break down tasks into smaller ones, and gauge a realistic time frame for completion. For example, quicker tasks can be completed before starting a larger one to allocate more time to the latter, or you can talk about extending deadlines to ensure ample time to complete tasks during work hours.
Overseeing a team? “Direct supervisors can also consider signposting between tasks that require immediacy or urgency, and tasks that are important but can be completed over a period,” Dr. Annabelle suggests.
Remember, every workplace is different, so alter your schedule to fit the demands of your job and your working style.
Communicate work-life boundaries with colleagues
Good communication shares a symbiotic relationship with prioritisation, especially in setting work-life boundaries. When in doubt, speak to your colleagues about your work threshold and capabilities, and this includes work challenges you’re facing.
However bear in mind that it’s a two-way street, so consider others when discussing. “Employees should also consider workplace priorities when planning or making accommodation requests,” Annabelle suggests.
How can our work culture change?
Overtime work doesn’t simply arise from bad habits. From young, the mantra of working hard as a path to success is ingrained by loved ones around us, often at the expense of ourselves. This creates a culture where not only is it common, but also normalised.
“Productivity anxiety can drive those who believe they “failed to be productive” to feel guilty about leaving work on time or taking breaks. However, there are other reasons, such as unrealistic workloads, difficulty setting professional boundaries with superiors, people-pleasing tendencies, or the perception that working overtime could lead to a ‘favourable impression’ of work ethic–and hence a promotion or pay raise.”
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In summary, habits aren’t the only things in need of change. The workplace needs to change to facilitate healthy work-life boundaries too.
This begs the question–what can it look like? On the legislation side, Australia introduced a “right to disconnect” law in October 2023, but what about workplaces in Singapore?
On this topic, Annabelle says, “Workplace leaders can refrain from non-urgent after-hours communication, encouraging regular breaks and refrain from discouraging taking time off. “They can consider adjusting working hours or workloads when deadlines or priorities shift–demonstrating a genuine regard for welfare to employees.”
