Employee workload (37%) tops the list of stress causes among employees across Southeast Asia (SEA), according to Southeast Asia's Hiring, Compensation, and Benefits Report 2024 by SEEK. Other stressors for employees across the region include high pressure from management (27%) and lack of ample career development opportunities (23%).
Coping with stress
Around 71% of respondents described their workplace as moderately stressful, but 48% of companies offer adequate support to help employees cope.
Almost half (46%) of SEA companies surveyed have introduced new initiatives to help their employees cope with stress in 2023, with more companies in the Philippines (30%) and Indonesia (15%) prioritising mental health or wellness counseling talks; and Malaysian (17%) and Singaporean (11%) companies prioritise employee organisation activities.
Compensation & benefits
The study also revealed that SEA companies took initiatives to enhance their compensation and benefits offerings through salary benchmarking (52%)
Companies also give bonuses, with performance bonuses being the most popular type. The total average bonus payout increased to 1.86 months of salary.
The majority of companies in SEA (85%) rewarded their employees with salary increases in 2023, with an average salary increment of 7%.
Further, the study reported increased promotions in 2023, with 64% of employees experiencing career advancement opportunities across SEA.
