☕ Kopi Talk with MHO
In 2022, Brunei promised a bold transformation in how we work and live - flexible hours, two-day weekends, and a healthier, more balanced workforce.
In 2025, that promise remains at a standstill. Meanwhile, burnout rises, mental health suffers, and families are left juggling impossible schedules.
This investigative piece dives into what was pledged, what’s holding us back, and why the time to act is now - not after Vision 2035.
🧠💼 Let’s talk about what’s really costing us productivity—and peace of mind.
By Malai Hassan Othman
Saturdays are not weekends for Aina, a 35-year-old civil servant and mother of two. She still clocks in at the office while her children spend their weekends at home. "I only get Sunday off," she sighs, visibly worn out.
Over in the private sector, Hamzah, a retail assistant, clocks more than 50 hours weekly. He’s paid minimum wage and receives no overtime pay. "Six days a week, one day to rest, but even that day I used to catch up on errands," Hamzah says. "I feel like a machine."
They are not alone. Bruneians are working some of the longest hours in Southeast Asia.
According to ILO data, Brunei averages 47 hours a week. In comparison, Malaysia averages 45 hours, the Philippines 43.2, and Indonesia 40.6. Singapore and Thailand hover around 44–45 hours, while Vietnam stands at 48.
Cambodia tops the ASEAN list with over 49 hours per week. Laos reports slightly less.
Despite its small population, Brunei is among the highest in the region.
Many Bruneians, especially in the private sector, are burnt out, exhausted, and unseen. The numbers back up what the people have long been feeling.
In 2022, the Brunei government unveiled its Mental Health Action Plan 2022–2025.
It wasn’t just a policy idea - it was a strategic, multi-year blueprint shaped by input from multiple stakeholders.
The Action Plan laid out four overarching strategies, thirteen priority actions, and thirty-two activities aimed at promoting mental health, improving services, and embedding psychological well-being into national development.
Among these was a flagship commitment: a national work-life balance policy.
Flexible working hours. Two-day weekends. Standardized work schedules. Workplace daycares and crèches. Designated school bus drop-off points.
But in 2025, none of it has been implemented. A study on flexible working hours for civil servants commenced in 2024. To date, it remains just that - a study. Still no policy.
While the issue of work-life balance was brought up during the 2024 Legislative Council sessions, it was notably absent from the 2025 deliberations. Mental health was discussed - but the promised work-life balance policy? Not a word.
The silence is telling. It’s not mere bureaucratic inertia - it’s a failure with real-life consequences for Bruneians’ mental and emotional health.
In 2021 alone, 1,515 Bruneians were diagnosed with anxiety and depression. That number has only increased. Mental illness is a growing crisis.
A 2020 survey by the Health Promotion Centre found that 17.6% of civil servants showed signs of depression. Some 35.4% reported burnout.
Yet only 262 government employees were surveyed - barely a glimpse into the real picture. What about the thousands working under stricter conditions in the private sector?
Let’s break it down. Adding to the growing strain on families is the newly integrated academic-religious education schedule, now merged into a single full-day schooling system.
While this reform eliminated previously taxing double school runs, it brought a new challenge: managing drop-offs and pick-ups during standard work hours.
School now runs from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and resumes from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
This places significant pressure on working parents, particularly with limited midday flexibility.
Civil servants find it hard to leave work mid-day. Private sector workers with fixed hours face even greater difficulty.
Though educationally sound, many parents argue the policy lacks logistical planning. There’s little formal support for working families adjusting to this transition.
What Parents Are Saying
"Now that school is full-day, I can't leave work every afternoon just to fetch my child," says Liyana, a government clerk in Bandar.
Sahrul, a private sector technician, added: "I get off at 5. My kids finish at 3. It’s a daily panic rush. We need better coordination."
Nora, a mother of three, shared: "Why not adjust school times slightly or arrange official childcare bridging programs? We’ve been left on our own to figure it out."
The integration policy, though rooted in good intentions, lacks logistical foresight.
The emotional, financial, and professional burden on families continues to grow.
Amid this discontent, civil servants and reform-minded citizens have begun calling for adjustments to the workweek itself.
A widely discussed proposal calls for Friday to be a half-day, with Saturday and Sunday as full rest days.
This would provide families with two uninterrupted days of recovery and bonding.
Supporters argue the proposal better aligns Brunei with international practices while respecting religious observance.
The idea isn’t new. In the UAE, similar reforms were made to enhance productivity and align with global markets.
In the government sector, the current workweek spans Monday to Thursday and Saturday. Friday and Sunday are designated rest days.
While rooted in religious tradition, many believe it no longer suits modern demands.
In contrast, the private sector, especially oil and gas, typically follows a Monday-to-Friday schedule, offering full weekends off.
Brunei Shell Petroleum, for example, has implemented flexible hours and remote work options.
These policies reflect forward-thinking, globally aligned workforce practices. But this is not the norm.
Many private companies still impose six-day workweeks, unpaid overtime, and blurred work-life boundaries through late-night messages and weekend demands.
Under Brunei’s current Labour Law, employers are required to provide just one day off per week. Technically, working 24 days straight remains legal.
One letter to the editor described this as a “zombie workforce.” Another wrote, “We’re heading for Vision 2035 with broken minds.”
Social media is flooded with similar frustrations: long hours, stagnant pay, and no time to rest.
“Our people are breaking,” one user lamented. Yet the government continues to urge citizens to help realize Wawasan 2035. But with what energy? And at what cost?
The government recognized the problem. It even proposed a solution in 2022. But three years later, the policy remains at a standstill while the public continues to suffer.
Flexible working isn’t a luxury. It’s a basic right. And in Brunei, it’s long overdue.
In countries like Estonia, 29 days of paid leave are standard. In Brunei, burnout has become the default.
The Civil Service Department was designated to lead the policy. Ministries were expected to follow. Yet, three years on - silence.
Awareness campaigns were launched. The Ministry of Health even opened the MOH Intelligence Hub in late 2022, aiming to improve health data systems and services like BruHIMS.
Plans for telemedicine and telehealth were discussed. Community care models, including continuity of care, social inclusion, and decentralized mental health access, were part of the broader strategy.
Importantly, the Action Plan acknowledged the entrenched stigma surrounding mental illness. It called for preventive efforts - not just treatment - including workplace support for healthy eating, physical activity, and mental wellness.
But again, talk outpaces action. And public patience is wearing thin.
A comprehensive systematic review published in Healthcare (Basel) in 2022 reinforces the case: flexible, employee-oriented work schedules - such as working from home or self-managed hours - lead to measurable reductions in depression, burnout, and emotional fatigue.
Though modest, these improvements matter. They show that autonomy over how and when people work can prevent mental health issues before they spiral into crises. Brunei has the framework. It has public backing. And now, it has the science to justify real change. So why the delay? Is it caution? Complacency? Or is the system too comfortable squeezing workers dry while preaching compassion?
Even top-performing civil servants are drained. Some have quietly resigned. Others remain, silent and worn out, afraid of being labelled as weak.
It’s time leaders acknowledged that true national progress isn’t built on overworked bodies. It’s built on motivated, healthy, balanced people.
Vision 2035 is not just about infrastructure. It’s about investing in human resilience.
A work-life balance policy isn’t optional. It’s urgent. And Brunei must decide - will it keep postponing change, or finally honour the promise it made? (MHO/04/2025)