That is what a long-term survey on workplace mental well-being in the region is pointing out, to enlighten organizational leaders

Data collected from around 50,000 Asia-Pacific-region* users (including 4,400 business-to-business users) of a multi-week quiz on holistic mental well-being in the workplace has been analyzed to draw trend insights from.

The aim of the analysis was to measure the effectiveness of organization’s well-being programs and compare their performance in fostering workplace well-being across the selected industries

One trend noted in the data was that respondents from the smaller South-east Asian markets like Vietnam (65.1%), Thailand (65.0%) and the Philippines (64.4%) scored highest in Organizational Health sentiments, whereas respondents from Taiwan (58.7%) and Korea (58.1%) scored the lowest.

Other findings

In the data, the three industries with the highest overall Organizational Health^ scores across the region were Healthcare and Pharmaceutical (67.5%), Government and Non-profit (66.8%), and Education (65.8%). Also:


  • Respondents from Healthcare and Pharmaceutical reported a strong sense of purpose (73.8%) and the highest levels of optimism (70.3%) across the other industries surveyed.
  • Government and Non-profit respondents reported high levels of employee well-being (68%) and work engagement (67.4%).
  • Respondents from the Education sector scored better in the areas of Work-Life Balance (63.9%) and Relationship Building (75.3%).
  • In the Philippines, respondents from E-commerce and Online Services reported the highest levels of Employee Productivity (74.7%), followed by Malaysia (74.4%) and Singapore (73.7%). Compared across all other industries in the survey, these scores were slightly below average.
  • Industries in the survey that scored below the industry benchmarks for Organizational Health scores — including E-commerce and Online Services (60.6%) — reported high levels of presenteeism among respondents.
  • Presenteeism rates were roughly four times higher than that of absenteeism, with associated fiscal damage that was deem as thrice that of the latter.
  • Sufficient organizational support did not always translate to higher employee well-being scores if other factors were at play: such as low utilization rates of employee assistance programs, low employee self-care level or low level of awareness of their unmet needs that the Harvard Business Review has written about.
  • The data showed a link between respondents scoring high in personal growth (Purpose and Meaning) also able to recover from setbacks more easily (Resilience), overcome challenging situations more confidently (Self Efficacy) and demonstrate more (Optimism) in work engagement. High scorers in all these personal strengths contributed to commensurate Organizational Health and Employee Productivity scores.

    • According to Theodoric Chew, co-founder and CEO, Intellect, the firm that conducted the survey: “The prevalence of presenteeism across the region underscores the urgent need for employers to implement targeted interventions and proactive measures.”

    * including respondents from Australia, China, Indonesia, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam across 11 industries: Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals; Government & Non-profit; Education; Technology & Telecommunications; Professional Services; Manufacturing; Finance & Insurance; Real Estate & Hospitality; Luxury, Retail & FMCG; E-commerce & Online Services; Others

    ^ Organizational Health data in this survey comprised responses reflecting three aspects: the level of work engagement, level of employee well-being, and level of organizational support. Scores above 74 reflected a minimal risk profile, while low, medium and high risks are deemed to be reflected by scores of 65–73; 57–64; and 0–56 respectively.