While studies examining the impact of the COVID-19 on the general population are in abundance, the number of research on its impact on government employees is limited. The present study investigated the levels of workload and the presence of burnout, negative emotional states, and job performance on a sample of government employees in Malaysia during the third wave of the pandemic. Participants (n = 118) answered an online survey with questions about their demographic characteristics, NASA Task Load Index (workload),
Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (burnout), Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (negative emotional states), and Job Performance Scale (job performance). Results showed that participants reported high workloads and exhibited high burnout and negative emotional states scores. Regression analyses indicated that workload is a strong predictor of work-related burnout and depression, anxiety, and stress, even after controlling for age. Contrary to the expectations, workload did not correlate or predict job performance. The uncertainty and shift in work together with the increased workload brought about by the pandemic affect government employees’ psychological well-being. Future research will benefit from identifying the factors behind the interplay between workload, burnout, emotional states, and other job outcomes, which can then inform the development of specific, theoretically grounded interventions to improve employees’ psychological well-being