By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-11-26 11:21:22 | Updated at 2024-11-26 13:34:27
2 hours ago
Over 40 per cent of Hong Kong’s service industry workers report experiencing frequent burnout, more than double the level observed during the Covid-19 pandemic, a survey has found, attributing the increase to less flexible work arrangements and higher service expectations.
Researchers who conducted the survey suggest that to alleviate the situation, companies should be clearer in communicating their development goals to employees and adopt more thoughtful approaches to enhancing well-being.
The survey by the business school of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Hong Kong Association for Customer Service Excellence (HKACE) was conducted between 2022 and 2024 and covered around 1,000 employees from the service industry across both the public and private sectors.
The survey found that 43.6 per cent of respondents reported that they frequently or always experienced burnout – or 2.7 times the level reported during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Workers in private companies also faced higher stress levels than those working in the public sector.
Bennett Yim Chi-kin, a professor in marketing at the business school, explained that during the pandemic, the service industry experienced a “pretty strong sense of shared resilience” as companies and employees united to face challenges.
