In the 2015 World Happiness Report, a United Nations study, found that Singapore was the happiest country in Asia. But is that even remotely true? Most working adults here would probably identify more with the 2011 Gallup poll that ranks Singapore 90th in the world in terms of happiness.
Singapore can be a very stressful place to live in. Our small and open economy means competition is everywhere, especially at the workplace. And whether or not we realize it, many of us are working ourselves miserable in order to stay ahead in the rat race. Here are 10 sad signs that you’re totally overworked.
While the rest of the world spends their weekdays planning for their epic Friday night outs, your phone remains deadly silent. No, you’re not a loner. Your friends just bojio you, because they already know the outcome. Jio already, you also won’t come. You will be hunched over your computer in an empty office. Before you know it, it’s Saturday night, and you’re finally looking forward to the remaining half a weekend – only to receive an SMS from your boss on Sunday morning. zzz. Back to work.
Being the most capable employee is a doubled edged sword. On one hand, your superiors absolutely adore you; but on the other, you get arrowed for the most tedious of tasks, and those arrows fly straight and true, as if Legolas fired it himself. It is your unavoidable destiny. The immutable will of fate.
You are an indomitable force at the office. You plough your way through tons of work everyday without even batting an eyelid – or so they think. Migraines, coughs, colds, and even food poisoning can’t convince you to detach yourself from your desk and pay the doctor the visit because the show must go on.
But don’t be naive, even heroes have the right to bleed. Your super-garang-choingster-warrior facade only lasts for so long, and it’s only a matter of time before your body starts to betray you
The axiom of “Work life, Social life and Sleep. Pick two” does not apply to you. Work life is all the life you have. Pick one.
You swear the universe is conspiring against you, because it’s always right before a critical deadline that you feel your body failing you. And no, taking a day off is not even an option.
You tahan it like a boss, go to work as an incubus of viral plague, and refuse to wear a mask as it would just make you look plain ridiculous. Congratulations, your virus has gone viral.
You have a fever so hot your forehead feels like the surface of the sun so you’re firmly bed ridden. And just when you’re about to fall into a lethargic, medicated sleep – you get a call from your boss. Time to bust out your office laptop. No rest for the weary.
You often hear your friends lamenting about how terrible, unbearably crowded, and unreliable the trains are; but you have no idea what they’re going on about. What is rush hour? You never leave the office until it’s long over.
You reply to work emails on your phone before bae’s whatsapp messages. You interrupt your dinner date to take a conference call with your boss. Your bae feels the relationship is falling apart because you’re always busy. And even when you do find time to meet up, you’re looking at your phone more often than her.
Haha that was a good one. Don’t lie to yourself, you don’t have a bae. You’ve been single for years. You’re married to your work, and divorce is not even an option.
Remember how many sleepless nights you used to have as a kid worried that a pontianak was going to come out of the banana tree in your backyard?
Now that you’re older, your nightmares consist of looming deadlines and KPIs. And the image of your boss’s face is enough to make you wake up in a pool of your own sweat.
The office chair has a special place in your life, so much so that you even get aggressive when someone tries to take it from you. Through the long office hours and late night OTs, its seasoned cushions have been moulded to the shape of your butt, and it fits like Cinderella’s glass slipper. You love your chair so much, sometimes, when you’re too tired to go home, you just sleep at your desk…in your beloved chair.
Your health, family and friends are just as important as your career. If you’re working yourself to the bone, you’ve got to snap out of it. It’s not worth sacrificing your health for your career – as good as that promotion may sound.
Instead of fighting the battle on your own, talk to your colleagues and superiors. Honesty is the best policy, and at times, even they might be unaware of the predicament you’re in. Whether it’s taking up a new skill, or picking your child up from day-care, many employers are open to the concept of adopting flexible working hours.
That small change could make the difference between you starting the day on a high, or feeling dismal and full of angst.
And please, if you’re feeling under the weather, don’t go to work. Spreading a nasty virus to the whole office could be anything from inconvenient to lethal. If you die die must go to work, wear a mask. It may make you look ridiculous and feel super uncomfortable, but it’s the considerate thing to do. A little discomfort will go a long way in saving your fellow co-workers from the same fate.
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