JAKARTA \u2014 Annual leave and holidays should be opportunities to\nrecharge and step away from work routines. In reality, however, many\nworkers find themselves carrying the burden of the office with them\nwhile on holiday.<\/p>\n
They still bring their laptops, check work notifications and even\nspend journeys home or holidays completing overdue office tasks. The\ndifficulty of truly switching off was a key focus of a talk entitled\n\u201cReal Voice, Real Change: Let\u2019s Create a Healthy Workplace\u201d, organised\nby PIP Unpad and Unpad Jakarta Campus to mark World Mental Health Day,\nobserved on 10 October 2026.<\/p>\n
During the discussion, psychologist Fredrick Dermawan Purba, who is\nalso head of the Master\u2019s and Doctoral programmes in Psychology at\nUniversitas Padjadjaran, said people\u2019s attitudes towards work are\nstrongly influenced by their generation and the environment in which\nthey grew up. He noted that millennials often take work with them on\nleave because they were shaped by the belief that hard work is the only\nroute to success.<\/p>\n
Generation Z, by contrast, tends to have a different view of\nbalancing life and career. \u201cMillennials were brought up by the\ngeneration before them to believe that hard work is the key to success.\nFor Gen Z, working smart and being happy are the keys,\u201d Fredrick said in\nJakarta on Friday (9 October 2026).<\/p>\n
These differing generational outlooks do not mean that one group is\nnecessarily better than the other. Life challenges, family\nresponsibilities and workplace dynamics also shape how people cope in\ntheir professional lives.<\/p>\n
Some workers recognise that their workplace is unhealthy but feel\ntrapped because finding a new job is difficult amid economic\nuncertainty. This dilemma leaves some caught between two fears. \u201cThey\nare afraid to leave, but also afraid to stay,\u201d Fredrick said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/on-holiday-but-still-thinking-about-work-why-is-it-so-hard-to-switch-off-1791611480", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }