Work-related stress and happiness in Singapore

Abstract

Since the late 20th century, scientific research of happiness has thrived and grown substantially. Happiness is seen by some as one of the crucial values in life. In the study of happiness, countless of papers have attempted to relate different aspects, including income, age, location and health, to happiness. In this report, we aim to examine an important determinant of happiness, namely work-related stress. Although there are past studies supporting a negative relationship between stress and happiness, there is inadequate knowledge on the key work stressors and their effects on the happiness of Singapore workers. Given this research gap, this study examined the major sources of work stressors (Demands, Control, Relationships, Changes, Role, Support, Culture, Competitiveness and Perceiving Work as Merely a Job) and their effects on Singapore workers‟ happiness. Survey questionnaire was carried out and 171 responses were collected from the working population in Singapore. Measuring instruments such as the Job Stress Questionnaire, Stress at Work Survey and the Likert Scale were modified to cater to this research. Both descriptive analysis and statistical analysis were conducted to analyse the data. Our observations revealed that a significant proportion of the working population in Singapore experiences work-related stress daily and a negative relationship exists between average workers‟ happiness and stress levels. Deeper analysis suggested that competitiveness and perceiving work as merely a job are key contributors to low happiness among Singapore‟s workers. Besides the main findings, it is also found that age, gender, years of formal education and years of working experience are correlated with the stress level of workers in Singapore. Based on these findings, we have also made some policy suggestions with the hope of improving the happiness levels of workers in Singapore. This study has shaped the basic understanding of work-related stress and happiness in Singapore and is expected to lead to further research in similar areas.