Labour Day: Home is where the work is for this Malaysian

Shamila Othman is no stranger to the “work from home” (these days referred to as WFH) system. She’s the regional public relations manager (South-East Asia) for Tourism Australia, and works in the heart of the city in Kuala Lumpur.. — SHAMILA OTHMAN

For some us, working from home in our T-shirt and shorts, or even pyjamas, is the new normal. There are also folks (mostly men, based on the many funny videos posted on social media) who wear their ironed shirts, ties and jackets – but sans pants – during video conference calls.

And then there are those who try their best not to veer too much from their old work routine, before the Covid-19 crisis hit.

Shamila Othman, 43, is no stranger to the “work from home” (these days referred to as WFH) system. She’s the regional public relations manager (South-East Asia) for Tourism Australia, and works in the heart of the city in Kuala Lumpur.

“We have always had the flexibility to work from home when needed so I have done it a few times in the past. But of course, this is now on a whole different scale, ” she says.

To create a better WFH environment for herself, Shamila tries to maintain the same kind of discipline now as she did pre-movement control order (MCO). This includes waking up early for work.

“I get dressed – definitely not working in pyjamas! – and even put on a little bit of makeup to give myself that feeling of ‘going to work’. I try to stick to the core working hours and avoid working too many long hours because I think it is very important to maintain the boundary between work and home life, now that both are done in the home, ” she shares.

Shamila’s work now involves making a lot of video and conference calls each day, which she says is a nice way to connect with her colleagues. However, being on one call after another can get a little daunting.

“I try to step away from my desk a few times during the day to chill out. I guess this replaces the office pantry chats or corridor discussions for now!”

Perhaps what Shamila misses the most these days is the one-on-one interaction with people, especially her workmates.

“I am proud to say that I miss my colleagues! Working in physical isolation from my colleagues has been tough. You never really think about the impact social settings in the office will have on your work until you have to be physically apart, ” she admits.

Shamila has colleagues not just in Malaysia but in Singapore and Indonesia too, and although previously, they mostly kept in touch virtually or via telephone conferencing, they would also meet up every so often on business trips. “Not knowing when I will be able to see them physically is challenging, ” she notes.

Shamila used to travel often for work and leisure. But with the Covid-19 pandemic putting a stop to almost all non-essential travel around the globe, things have definitely changed for people like her. Experts are already predicting that the global tourism industry will record a huge loss, perhaps the biggest among other industries. It will also be the slowest sector to recover.

Being part of the tourism industry herself, Shamila recognises the impact the crisis has on her work, but remains optimistic of the whole situation.

“The immediate impact I see is how to keep travel relevant in a world where people are currently worried about travel. I believe that we will always have that wanderlust and I hope that people will continue seeing travel as part of their lifestyle and something they look forward to doing again when it is safe to do so.

“This time is also an opportunity for travel practitioners like myself to look at the way we were doing things and see how we need to adapt to this sense of ‘new normal’. We’ll have to think differently about how we do our jobs and engage with our audience. It is also important to listen to our partners with empathy and solidarity – this feeling of ‘we’re all in this together’ is something that we can bank on to face the challenges, ” she concludes.