Vietnam's Workforce Grapples with 'Boss's Instant Reply' Pressure and Burnout

In Vietnam's urban centers, a growing number of workers are facing mental and physical strain due to the pressure to provide instant replies to messages from their superiors. The case of Hoang, a 34-year-old marketing professional in Hanoi, exemplifies the severity of this issue. He often had to return to work during dinner due to his boss's instructions, and even his child's birthday was disrupted by work, leading to insomnia and decreased concentration. According to a 2022 survey by the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, approximately 44% of workers worked 40-48 hours per week, and 28% worked over 48 hours. However, it is believed that a larger number of workers are engaged in work until late at night and on weekends. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that around 35% of the global workforce regularly works more than 48 hours per week. A VnExpress survey of over 5,000 readers revealed that 24% are under continuous pressure from KPIs and deadlines, 24% are connected to work 24/7, including on holidays, 13% are suffering from a toxic mental environment, and 39% are experiencing a combination of these factors. Experts point to technology blurring the lines between work and personal life as the root cause of this problem. Dr. Tran Thi Hong Thu, former Deputy Director of the Mai Huong Day Hospital for Psychiatry, states that it is not just the workload but the feeling of "never being able to leave work" that exhausts employees. Constantly waiting for messages from superiors keeps the brain in a high state of alertness, consuming significant psychological energy and leading to chronic stress and burnout. Minh, a 35-year-old sales team leader, has fallen into a similar trap. He habitually keeps his phone by his pillow with the volume turned up to the maximum to avoid missing "urgent tasks." However, urgent requests have become increasingly frequent, with his boss inquiring about sales figures at 9 PM, demanding report revisions at 10:15 PM, and sending short messages in group chats close to midnight about client requirement changes for the next day. Fearing being labeled as lazy, Minh works until the tasks are completed before sleeping. This has led to sleep disturbances, waking up at 2-3 AM every night, and he even checks the company chat app multiple times to ensure he hasn't missed anything. Dr. Nguyen Viet Chung, Head of the Mental Health Department at E Hospital, warns that prolonged overwork can lead to anxiety disorders and a decline in quality of life. Affected individuals may become irritable, impatient, withdraw from relationships, and remain preoccupied with work even when with family. Accumulated stress over weeks and months can escalate into burnout, causing a loss of motivation, reduced concentration, insomnia, and potentially anxiety or depression. Many subtle signs include fragmented sleep, headaches, shoulder and neck pain, digestive issues, and unexplained weight gain or loss. Experts suggest that respecting rest time within the corporate culture is the first step toward a solution. Companies should establish policies that limit non-urgent emails and messages to business hours, with outside-hour contact only for truly critical matters. Productivity should be measured by the quality and results of work, not by the level of constant online presence. An individual responding to a message at 11 PM is not necessarily more productive than someone who replies at 8 AM the next morning. Furthermore, managers need to recognize the pressure they create by immediately conveying ideas to subordinates. Non-urgent tasks should be deferred to the next day, and early planning should prevent last-minute or evening work. Employees are also advised to agree on acceptable hours for overtime support with their superiors, utilize "Do Not Disturb" modes, turn off group notifications after work hours, and retain only the channel for emergency calls. Evenings should be dedicated to activities that help the body recover, such as exercise, reading, spending time with family, and maintaining a regular sleep schedule. If experiencing prolonged fatigue, burnout, insomnia, or stress, seeking timely medical consultation at a specialized facility is recommended. What Hoang desires is not a long vacation, but a complete evening, with hot soup and his daughter still awake, waiting for her father to return for dinner.