AFTER watching dedicated people rendering their services when she got her Covid-19 vaccination in early May, flight attendant Shazana Yazmin Zulkurnain decided to sign up when the opportunity arose to help at a vaccination centre (PPV) in Selangor.
“It was inspiring to see the staff and volunteers helping those of us who were getting vaccinated at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) PPV, ” said the 33-year-old.
“Soon after, I came across a job advertisement calling for part-time staff to work at the Ideal Convention Centre (IDCC) in Shah Alam and I applied for it. I was not sure about the role but I was told it would be related to customer service and crowd control, ” she said.
Shazana, who started work at IDCC PPV on May 24 making daily announcements of new arrivals, said her 13-year airline experience helped in her new job.“My duty is to explain to people about the process flow at the PPV and what they have to do at each station, which is similar to the pre-boarding and in-flight announcements, ” she said.
“The environment at the PPV is like in an airplane. I’m happy to work daily since this is what I do best and I feel at home when I’m here.”
The single mother with a five-year-old son said she welcomed the job even though the hours were long, as she desperately needed some income. She has been surviving on minimum wage and savings after being furloughed in March last year.
Her experience struggling to make ends meet is similar to many others from the aviation industry, which was one of the sectors hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dzin Norain Hishamuddin Kamal Rabah said he got 20 of his fellow flight attendants to join him after he successfully secured a part-time job at the IDCC PPV.
“My background as an airline crew member and experience with customer service helped in my new role, ” said the 35-year-old better known as Dzin who has been in the industry for 12 years.
“In an Airbus A330, we handle 377 persons per flight. At IDCC, we deal with 10 times that number with some 3,000 people to be vaccinated daily.
“My role is to facilitate the vaccination process and let people know when to expect their next appointment.”
Dzin said there were similarities and differences between his old job and new one.
“As airline crew, we are responsible for the passengers’ safety and welfare.
“We also calm passengers down if they are new to flying, ” said the Kuala Lumpur resident.
“At the PPV, I help to make people feel comfortable and understand the vaccination process, so that they do not feel the pain of the actual needle.”
Dzin said he was able to support himself through e-sports and helping friends with odd jobs after most flights were grounded last year.
Christina Supang’s daily duty of doing data entry allowed her to put that skill to use while dealing with all kinds of personalities.
“People skills are very important.
“Sometimes certain data is missing from their form, so I have to explain what happened and then get the data from them.
“We also have a small team managing a large crowd, so we have to be able to handle that.
“After securing the job, I was initially hesitant because I didn’t know what I had to do.
“But now I’m happy to apply what I was trained for as an airline crew member, ” said the Miri native who has 10 years of flying experience.
She observed that despite people’s concerns, it was good to see so many turn up at the PPV to get themselves vaccinated.
Christina, 35, said she did odd jobs and sold her artwork online to earn some income after being furloughed.
Shazana, Dzin and Christina are eager to resume their old jobs should some semblance of normalcy resume and more international flights allowed.
But not all of the part-time staff here are from the aviation sector, as those working in other industries have also faced tough times.
For (Capt) Dr Vijayakumar Krishnan Sammy, the volunteer stint at the IDCC PPV was an opportunity to earn some fixed income over a two-week period.
“My last job before Covid-19 hit was at a telecommunications infrastructure company in Myanmar, ” said the 43-year-old who has worked in the telecommunications field across 38 countries for the past 28 years.
“Due to visa issues and lockdown complications, I was unable to resume that job.
“I tried applying for hundreds of jobs locally and overseas, but was unsuccessful in securing one for various reasons.”
The single father — who has a private pilot’s licence — said he had taken on a temporary job as a delivery driver to support his three teenage sons and pay the rent for his apartment in Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya.
“My job here at the IDCC PPV is to confirm appointments.
“It is something new to me but I’m willing to learn, ” said Vijayakumar.
“In addition to sharing work experiences with others in the team here, this is also an opportunity to meet a lot of people and maybe even a potential future employer.”
Customer service par excellence
Employment agency Q Talent Global Resources Sdn Bhd owner Zarina Ismail said there were about 80 crew members from three Malaysia-based airlines manning the floor at the IDCC PPV, along with 20 others from other industries or fresh graduates.
“They handle everything except the medical aspects of the programme. Their duties include customer service, data entry and crowd control, ” she said.
“The airline crew’s advantage is that they are well-trained in customer service and first aid, so they are prepared to handle the crowd and possible emergencies.
“They are very professional and efficient. There have not been any complaints or hiccups so far.
“We have received lots of positive feedback about the staff’s efficiency and smooth vaccination flow here, ” she said.
Happy with the opening of many PPVs under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, Zarina said it had several benefits apart from getting Malaysians vaccinated.
“It offers work opportunities to those who lost their jobs and those whose income was badly affected by the pandemic.
“The volunteers here are willing to work long hours and remain professional and committed to their jobs, despite the minimal allowance, ” she said.
Zarina said members of the non-clinical team at IDCC PPV were paid RM75 per shift and that there were two shifts daily.
“They are grateful to have a job now, albeit a temporary one.
“Many still have monthly commitments such as servicing housing loans and feeding their families, so they are grateful for this opportunity, ” she added.
IDCC PPV is expected to handle about 3,000 people per day from May 24 to June 6.
It is one of the venues for the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine opt-in exercise.
QueueMed Healthtech Sdn Bhd strategic planning director Nic Tai said his digital healthcare solutions company was appointed by the government to run the IDCC PPV.
“QueueMed handles the healthcare organisation and queue system aspects through collaborations with our clinical partners, ” he said.
“Q Talent provides partnership and support for this programme.
“They handle the manpower for the non-clinical side and train the team to ensure the entire vaccination process is smooth.”
Tai said there were 90 to 95 workers daily at the IDCC PPV, with about 40% handling the clinical aspects while 60% the non-clinical duties.
Zarina said IDCC had been cited as an exemplary PPV.
“I have about 300 airline crew members on the waiting list who are eager for similar jobs, ” she said, adding that Q Talent also had a few volunteers posted at WTC Kuala Lumpur PPV.
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