Flexible working hours are an important factor in job satisfaction and can influence an employee’s decision to remain with an employer, according to a 2025 study on family-friendly employment practices in Selangor.
The study, conducted by Wanita Berdaya Selangor (WBS) in collaboration with International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), found that 79.4% of respondents rated flexible working hours as important or very important to job satisfaction.
The findings, involving respondents from companies under Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated (MBI), were presented at the CEO Roundtable: Shaping Family-Friendly Workplaces in Selangor in Shah Alam.
WBS strategy and impact division head Rusni Tajari said 74% of respondents believed shared parental leave was important in promoting gender equality, while 66.7% said flexible working hours had positively influenced their decision to remain with their employer.
Another 62.4% agreed fathers should be given longer paternity leave.
State women’s development, social welfare and care economy committee chairman Anfaal Saari said MBI-linked organisations were encouraged to adopt flexible working arrangements and shared parental leave.
“We have identified flexible working arrangements as one of the catalysts for ensuring that women can return to the workforce,” she said, noting that caregivers were predominantly women.
The state had also consulted experts, including Australia’s Parents Network, and was looking to begin a pilot family-friendly workplace initiative involving MBI-linked companies next July, she said.
“We are not imposing this on them, but we recommend that companies under MBI adopt it.”
Anfaal said the Statistics Department (DOSM) data showed Selangor’s female labour force participation rate stood at 70.3%, compared with 84.8% for men.
She attributed much of the gap to family caregiving responsibilities.
She also noted that Selangor was expected to attain “aged state” status by 2030, meaning caregiving responsibilities will increasingly extend beyond young children to older persons.
Anfaal said the initiative aligned with the Second Selangor Plan (RS-2) 2026-2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5 on gender equality and SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth.
“Providing a family-friendly work ecosystem is no longer merely an option or a secondary priority.
“Rather, it is an urgent economic and social necessity to ensure that Selangor remains competitive and inclusive, while retaining high-value talent,” she added.
MBI Selangor group chief executive officer Datuk Saipolyazan M. Yusop said the initiative was not about reducing productivity, but creating an environment where employees could perform effectively while meeting family responsibilities.
He said the agenda was also linked to environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments, particularly employee well-being, equal opportunities, workplace safety and human capital development.
Also present was WBS CEO Siti Faridah Abdul Samad and MBI Selangor head of sustainability Mohd Fauzi Mohd Ghazali.
