Employees report long hours, understaffing, burnout
Employees across New Zealand are suffering from "widespread hardship" due to various challenges in their workplaces, according to a new report from the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU).
The report, carried out among more than 3,000 people, revealed understaffing, long hours, rising burnout, and wages that are failing to keep pace with the cost of living.
"This year's Mood of the Workforce survey paints a grim picture of widespread hardship, with families struggling to afford the essentials needed just to survive," said NZCTU president Sandra Grey.
"Working people consistently reported that wages aren't keeping up with costs, leaving even full-time workers struggling to afford basics like housing, food, and power."
'Widespread hardships' for employees
According to the findings, 67.4% of employees in New Zealand don't think they are being paid fairly for their work.
More than half of employees (58.4%) also reported that their income has not kept up with the cost of living over the last 12 months, with another 23.8% saying it has "somewhat fallen behind."
"This pressure is compounded by long hours, understaffing, and burnout," the report read. "Workers describe doing 'more with less' while absorbing the emotional and physical cost themselves."
Many of the respondents said the quality of their work life has got worse in terms of workload (61.3%) and working hours (46.4%) in the last 12 months.
"My mental health is declining because of the stress, anxiety, and lack of funds to do the basics… I feel on the brink of tears more often because of what seems like a hopeless situation," said one of the respondents, as quoted in the report.
Employees call for government support
These challenges come in the wake of wavering faith in the government to offer support, according to the findings.
Seven in 10 employees rated the current government's performance as "very bad," with only 2.3% saying they approved of their performance.
"Workers clearly have no faith in this government to improve their economic wellbeing," Grey said.
"People are demanding bold change, and it's past time politicians listened. We urgently need to address the concerns of working people, or we risk increasing political alienation and distrust in government."
