There are apparently different methods to destress and some tools are more effective for some people than others.

Some mentioned that perhaps due to a booming economy, we became a victim of our own success. More is now required from executives in terms of work load and efficiency than before. Our meritocratic society also has no mercy and those who do not make the cut will have to pay the price later.

One friend mentioned that she doubles as personal assistant to her manager besides her main job as a receptionist. The office wants to try her out in the dual portfolio as the personal assistant had resigned. All this was done without any increase in salary but all in the name of multi-tasking. She is on the lookout for another job.

Another friend mentioned that he has to destress everyday when he is back from work at 9pm. Officially he is off work at 6pm but he could not finish till 8pm and could only reach home at 9pm daily.

He learns meditation and uses it nightly at home to destress. He is thus left with only about an hour to spend time with his family. He is reconsidering his career option at the company that he had worked for the past five years. Technically he is facing a burnout at work.

As our economy steams ahead and our country has the lowest unemployment level in decades, let us spare a thought for those who toil and try to finish their work, often spending more than 10 hours of their waking time in the office.

Many professionals I know spend their days labouring over work and can only go home and lie on their bed to rest at night. The cycle is repeated daily for years. They hardly have time left to pursue other finer things in life. Weekends are also left for rest as their tired body and mind could not function anymore.

Work-life balance ought to be pursued actively by companies to ensure that employees stay balanced in their lifestyle.

Corporates that practise a balanced working environment tend to have a lower staff turnover. Fewer staff will also take medical leave as they tend to have a higher immunity to sicknesses when they have work-life balance at work.

A random check with many workers here, I am sure, will earn us an unenviable record for a low score in the job satisfaction category. Many are always job hopping and the reason is sometimes not the worker's fault. It is also natural that many here prefer to work for European multinational corporations which have a good record for work-life balance.

Unless we continue to actively promote work-life balance, I am afraid that we will have a group of grumpy unhappy workers here and this will eventually affect our productivity in the long run.

Gilbert Goh Keow Wah