6 out of 10 Singaporeans Stay Back Late just to “Show Face”

Apparently, 6 out of 10 Singaporeans admit to staying back late just to “show face”. According to a survey by YouGov Omnibus, 25% almost never leave work on time, 22% ‘rarely’ leave the office on time, and 3% ‘never’ do.

This survey of 756 Singaporeans found that the main reason for staying back late is ‘showing face’, which is the practice of presenteeism (staying at work longer than required to enhance one’s own professional reputation).

47% of Singaporeans say they leave office on time ‘most of the time, and 3 out of 10 doing so ‘sometimes’.

According to the research, ⅔ of Singaporeans think it is acceptable to leave the office before their boss, this view is mostly held by top-earners, those who earn more than SGD 8,000 (RM24,000) a month. 72% of high-earners find this okay, but less than 6 out of 10 of low-earners who earn SGD 4,000 (RM12,000) a month do.

57% have also admitted to coming into work even when ill to ‘show face’. The older Singaporean employees aged 55 and above are less likely to those this, with 61% having never come in while sick. Only 38% of the younger Singaporeans choose not to show up to work while ill.

This data highlights the primary reasons why Singaporeans are so anxious about ‘showing face’. 43% of Singaporeans believe that it is important to do so to further their career, while 2% don’t and 36% are undecided.

In line with the practice of ‘showing face’ is one of ‘losing face’: which means something that causes people to stop respecting or admiring you. Half or 53% of Singaporeans think it is crucial not to lose face in the office. One third or 33% of Singaporeans are not bothered by it while 14% believe it is not important.

The head of YouGov Omnibus in APAC, Jake Gammon, said: “Productivity is always one of the biggest things businesses have to address, and long hours do not always equate to productivity.”

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Source: YouGov

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