KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Resources Ministry will be conducting a study on the implementation of flexible working arrangements (FWA) among Malaysian companies to assess productivity.
Its minister Steven Sim said that the study will be conducted through Talent Corporation Malaysia Bhd (TalentCorp) and is aimed at evaluating the impact of FWA in the Malaysian context.
“Although we have international reports on FWA and how it does not affect productivity, the ministry still needs to see it from the country’s perspective and its implications," he said.
Sim added that workshops will focus on major cities in Johor, Penang, and the Klang Valley, which are hubs for companies, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
He also said that with the Guidelines for FWA and provisions under the Employment Act 1955, the ministry will continue to encourage this among more companies.
He said that TalentCorp has held workshops on FWA for about 3,000 companies, benefiting more than 560,000 employees.
“The workshop is to promote the implementation of FWA because many companies are unaware of what exactly they have to do if they want to adopt it. So, the workshop and the guidelines provide details on how it can be implemented in their companies," he added.
Sim said the guidelines include objectives, definitions, methods of implementation, work arrangements, how to calculate working hours, situations, days, types of professions, approval and application processes, and the responsibilities of employees and employers.
Through the implementation of FWA, Sim said that he hopes it can help reduce road traffic congestion through flexible hours or arrangements, work pressure, and mental health issues.
Ultimately, Sim said the focus of FWA is to create a more conducive working environment.
Regarding the guidelines, he said they will help set more progressive working conditions, flexibility, and work-life balance while helping companies retain their talents.
Sim also said that the Peninsular Labour Department conducted an online survey from Oct 9 to 25 regarding the implementation of these guidelines, involving 400 companies via email and receiving 164 responses.
A total of 78 companies implemented FWA, of which 46 approved the applications, benefiting 11,272 employees.
