Worker Stress In The Philippines Highest In Southeast Asia – Report

Stress among workers around the world reached another record-high last year, with the Philippines logging the highest among Southeast Asian nations, according to a new report released by analytics firm Gallup.

The 2022 State of the Global Workplace Report found that 44 percent of employees around the world experienced a lot of stress the previous day in 2021, up from the all-time high 43 percent the prior year.

“Those who agreed with this item may not have been stressed about work, but they were certainly stressed at work. Inevitably, the stress workers feel impacts the workplace. And while 2021 saw declines in worry, sadness and anger, all these negative emotions remained above pre-pandemic levels,” the report read.

Stress among Filipino workers was even higher than the global average, with 50 percent saying they experienced the feeling of stress a lot the previous day.

While three points lower than the 53 percent obtained in 2020, the stress experienced by Filipino workers last year was still the highest in the region. It was followed by those in Thailand (41 percent), Cambodia (38 percent), Myanmar (37 percent), Vietnam (35 percent), Singapore (34 percent), Laos (32 percent), Malaysia (27 percent) and Indonesia (20 percent).

The primary data used in the report was based on the Gallup World Poll, which was gathered from 2021 to early 2022. Country-specific findings are based on data aggregated from three years of polling.

The annual State of the Global Workplace Report looks into the situation of employees around the world, including their work engagement and negative emotions that they experienced.

Worldwide, the latest report found that feelings of worry, anger and sadness among employees last year dropped from all-time high scores in 2020 at the height of the pandemic.

Some 40 percent of workers said they experienced worry (down from 41 percent) the day before, 23 percent experienced sadness (down from 25 percent) and 21 percent experience anger (down from 24 percent).

In the Philippines, 35 percent of the surveyed workers in 2021 said they experienced a lot of worry the previous day (down five points from 2020 and eighth among 10 Southeast Asian nations).

Some 24 percent of Filipino workers experienced anger (down three points, third in the region), while 32 percent experienced a lot of sadness (down one point, second in the region).

The Philippines also ranked the highest in the region in terms of workplace engagement, with 31 percent saying they are engaged at work. This is higher than the global average of 21 percent.

“Globally, employee engagement and well-being remain very low, and it’s holding back enormous growth potential,” read the report.

“Organizations need to think about the whole person, not just the worker. Leaders need to add well-being measurements to their executive dashboards. This can alert them to critical warning signs that do not show up on traditional spreadsheets. They also need to prioritize employee well-being as part of their employer brand promise. When leaders take responsibility for the well-being of their workers, the result is not only productive organizations, but thriving individuals, families and communities,” it added.