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LOCAL employers have warned that workplace mental health challenges are becoming a critical economic and organisational issue, with growing concerns over burnout, emotional strain, harassment and excessive workloads threatening both employee wellbeing and business sustainability.
The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) said employers increasingly recognise that psychosocial risks can no longer be treated as secondary workplace concerns, as modern work environments continue to evolve rapidly under mounting economic and operational pressures.
MEF president Datuk Syed Hussain Syed Husman said organisations are now confronting a broad range of psychosocial challenges, including blurred work-life boundaries, chronic stress and rising emotional fatigue among workers.
“Employers recognise that safeguarding mental wellbeing is essential not only for employees, but also for organizational sustainability and business performance,” he said in a statement.
He noted that workplace-related mental health issues were already carrying major economic consequences globally.
Citing International Labour Organisation findings, Syed Hussain said psychosocial risks linked to workplace stress contribute significantly to worldwide economic losses, with cardiovascular disease and mental disorders associated with work stress estimated to reduce global gross domestic product by about 1.37 per cent annually.
The federation also stressed that employers, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises, would require sufficient guidance and institutional support to effectively implement psychosocial risk management frameworks.
“Employers, especially MSMEs, require adequate time, practical guidance, awareness, and capacity-building support to progressively adopt psychosocial risk management measures effectively.
“The objectives must be to build a culture of prevention, empathy, and shared responsibility across all workplaces,” he said.
Meanwhile, social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye urged both employers and policymakers to treat psychosocial hazards with the same urgency and seriousness accorded to physical workplace dangers.
Delivering the keynote address at the MEF Occupational Safety and Health Conference 2026 on Thursday, Lee said workplaces could not be considered genuinely safe if employees continued to face unrealistic performance pressures, bullying, harassment and prolonged emotional stress.
“These are not merely ‘soft issues’; they are genuine occupational hazards that can severely impact wellbeing, safety, and productivity,” he said.
Lee also called for workplace cultures that allow employees to speak openly about mental health concerns without fear of discrimination, stigma or retaliation.
He said psychological safety in the workplace would become increasingly important as employers navigate rising pressures tied to productivity, technological change and workforce expectations in the post-pandemic economy. - May 16, 2026
