PETALING JAYA: With work stress being one of the top issues among Talian HEAL callers, experts are urging employers to train managers to spot psychological distress and fix the root causes of burnout.
The call comes as the Health Ministry prepares a national workplace mental health framework aimed at creating safer, more supportive working environments across both the public and private sectors.
Occupational stress currently stands as a major driver of helpline calls, alongside anxiety, depression, financial strain, and personal conflicts.
Malaysian Mental Health Association president Datuk Dr Andrew Mohanraj said that while individual coping mechanisms are important, employers must tackle the structural causes of workplace strain.
“Bosses should regularly assess psychosocial risks, including excessive workloads, unreasonable working hours, inadequate staffing, job insecurity, bullying, harassment and unrealistic performance expectations,” Dr Mohanraj said.
“Employers should take measures to address these risks rather than expecting employees to simply cope with them.”
He added that the proposed policy should train managers to recognise early signs of psychological distress, communicate empathetically, and respond appropriately, while ensuring leadership practices that promote humiliation, and rely on intimidation or excessive pressure are not tolerated.
Clinical psychologist Dr Joel Low said there was a need for better structural support, including expanded company health insurance coverage for therapy and firm non-discrimination safeguards for workers facing mental health struggles.
Low added that having mental health breaks, similar to medical leave, would also be helpful.
“If you can go on medical leave, why not when we’re emotionally ill?” he said, however adding that it might be a challenge as emotional struggles are significantly harder to verify.
Evone Phoo, a clinical psychologist leading an Employee Assistance Programme care team, said that work stress carries outsized weight because job environments consume most of an individual’s waking life.
“It’s also where people may look for worth and belonging,” Phoo said. “It rarely explodes overnight. It creeps over time.”
While professional pressure is rarely the sole cause of a crisis, she added, it frequently serves as the final weight that pushes an overwhelmed individual over the edge.
“We live in a culture that says be strong and keep going,” Phoo said.
“But wearing that mask for too long wears people down. Admitting you’re tired or overwhelmed is not a failure. It’s being honest about human limits.”
