I came across a social media recently that stated that Brunei has the highest average working hours per week in Southeast Asia. I can’t really say I was too surprised by the finding, given that a lot of private companies are not willing to give their employees a proper weekend.
While our neighbouring countries are introducing policies that allow their workforces to request for flexible working arrangements, most of our employers are stuck in the past, unable to move past the fact that times have changed, that we are now living in the digital age where working in the office is no longer the only option.
Employers are now able to reach us 24/7, which wasn’t the case prior to the smartphone era. The line between work and personal life is increasingly blurry, so even if on paper, we are clocking in eight hours a day, there is no law to keep our bosses from phoning or texting us in the middle of the night.
I recently came across an article that warned about revenge sleep procrastination. It is a hard pill to swallow but I too am part of the statistics. Often, I find myself unable to fall asleep at night because I feel like I’ve wasted a large chunk of the day in the office. Given the six-day workweek, it is a struggle to shake off the irrational sense of urgency to catch up on social media. In the end, my mental and physical health suffers due to the prolonged lack of quality sleep.
The authorities are always reminding us to work hard towards realising the goals of Brunei Vision 2035. It’s only 11 more years to go, and we have yet to crack the code to a better work-life balance. In today’s digital era, a new technology seems to be released every other day. Employment policies ought to be reviewed and updated regularly with the objective of making sure they are in tandem with these advancements.
I hope this letter would reach the authorities because if we continued to turn a blind eye on the pressing need to address the dwindling work-life balance in our country, the future would consist of a burnout, sleep-deprived and physically unhealthy workforce that lacked the mental faculties to propel our country towards Brunei Vision 2035.
Insomniac
