AS PER a report from Remote, a global human resources platform, the Philippines is 59th when it comes to having the best work-life balance. 

This places the Philippines in second to last place, only a few points above Nigeria. In total, 100 nations were looked at as part of the global study. 

Of an index score of 100, the Philippines scored a mere 27.46. The Philippines’s numbers in the report’s different category are as follows:

• Statutory annual leave (Days): 17
• Paid maternity leave (Weeks): 8.6
• Minimum wage (USD/hr): 1.45
• Happiness index (Out of 10): 6.04
• Average hours per week per employed person: 40.63
• LGBTQ+ inclusivity (Out of 100): 57
• Safety: Global Peace Index Ranking (1-4; lower is better): 2.23

New Zealand was ranked number one in the report, with Ireland in second and Belgium and Denmark tying for third place.

Remote explains that while work-life balance is a concept that has been around for years, it’s become much harder to maintain this as it – and we – evolve. They mention that 93% of women suffer from mental health issues as a result of poor work-life balance.

Workers experiencing burnout

Work burnout peaked during the pandemic; as per Frontiers, a publisher of peer-reviewed scientific articles in the academe, in 2022 was found that burnout was the highest among employees in the Philippines.

Here, the percentage for burnout was at 70.71%, as seen in the severe depression faced by many employees. More than this, they also found that working over 50 hours a week and job dissatisfaction often led to higher chances of burnout.

It was also found in Gallup’s 2023 State of Global Workplace report that 45% of Filipinos feel stress daily, which can be attributed to the strong sense of resilience that many of them have, simply accepting whatever job is given to them even when it is above their pay grade as they believe that doing so will place them in a higher standing within their company.

One study from the research analytics firm Milieu Insight and mental health technology firm Intellect believed that this burnout was a result of the “rise and grind” mentality found in many Filipinos, causing them to work hard to help their loved ones, gain more income, or to feel accomplished.

This passion to fill these desires, however, can burn out pretty quickly when overexerted for long periods of time. And with the Philippines having an average number of 40.63 work hours per week, it’s easy to see why a feeling of hopelessness has started to arise.

Milieu, thus, advocates for mental health support within one’s workplace. More than this, however, this is also something that must be done to fix the system itself which overworks these employees in the first place.

Work-life balance myths

As per Remote, these factors should be taken into account when talking about work-life balance:

• A hybrid work setup doesn’t mean four mandatory in-office days and an optional one at home.
• There’s nothing wrong with taking time off or with taking breaks.
• The time you spend at your desk doesn’t indicate how productive you are.
• Time differences or asynchronous work models shouldn’t be a problem.

At the end of the day, a company’s employees know how and when they’re most productive, and more businesses should be taking this into account when creating work guidelines for their offices.

Friendly reminder: humans aren’t machines. They need to rest too, lest they burn out completely.