A global survey by recruitment solutions provider, Employment Hero, has found that a majority of the Malaysian workforce is more concerned about their financial security than their personal health. This was revealed in a report titled “The Impact of Covid-19 On Business Owners and Employees”, which polled more than 1,000 Malaysian participants.

According to the report, 71% of Malaysian employees said that they were worried about their financial health. Meanwhile, 66% and 62% of them were concerned about their physical and mental health, respectively, amidst the current workforce landscape that has been affected by Covid-19. Following the onslaught of the pandemic since the end of 2019, many employers had been forced to implement work-from-home arrangements.

Employment Hero’s report also found that although Malaysian employees were less worried about their mental health compared to financial security, their concern for mental health still ranked the highest among other countries that participated in the survey. For comparison, 50% of the workforce in Singapore said that they were worried about their mental health, whereas 49% of the participants from United Kingdom said the same. New Zealand and Australia both reported 46%.

The report further revealed a mismatch between the rising demand for mental health support among employees and the help that is being provided by employers. While 74% of Malaysian employers said that they are supportive of their employees’ mental health, only 56% of employees agreed. Correspondingly, 59% of employers believed that they have the resources to track mental health issues at work, but only 48% of employees agreed.

Aside from that, 70% of Malaysian employees said that a healthy work-life balance is crucial for them to maintain better mental health. This is in addition to other initiatives, such as more company-provided counselling services (57%) and health and wellness benefits (55%).

Data from the survey also noted that 64% of employees said that they felt stressed after being forced to work remotely due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, 59% of employees who have been working from home even before the pandemic reported similar anxieties.

The chief executive officer and co-founder of Employment Hero, Ben Thompson said that the survey essentially points to a need to prioritise work-life balance, mental health, and overall employee wellness initiatives among employers. “With remote working here to stay globally and maybe in the future, companies must take action and set proper procedures and communication channels to safeguard the wellbeing of their employees,” he said.

(Source: The Malaysian Reserve)

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• Ben Thompson
• Employment Hero
• Surveys
• Work From Home