The future workplace

WITH Labour Day around the corner, this is a suitable time to examine remote, hybrid and work from office models for the future workplace.

According to Bernama, the Cabinet will discuss a proposal for employees in the Klang Valley to work from home during the upcoming Asean summits, in view of possible road closures ahead of the arrival of dignitaries.

Quoting Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, the proposal came about after the public inconvenience caused by road closures in conjunction with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit.

Even though the minister publicly apologised to road users affected by the closures, the massive traffic jams left many Malay­sians feeling frustrated, despite the fact that authorities issued notices of 17 road closures days before Xi’s three-day visit.

Motorists were advised to reschedule their journeys and use alternative routes to avoid congestion during the road closures, and to comply with instructions from personnel on duty. Still, the domino effect from shutting down key highways during peak hours resulted in traffic chaos.

The two big Asean events – the Asean Summit in May and ­another one with Asean dialogue partners in October – will surely have the same effect on Klang Valley traffic, hence the proposal to allow for work from home (WFH) arrangements during both occasions makes absolute sense.

But why do we do this only when we have important dignitaries in town?

WFH means fewer cars on the road. Less congestion and smoother traffic means you can get from point A to point B faster, increasing everyone’s productivity.

This was evident during the pandemic but post-Covid-19, many employers have cut back on WFH and pushed for a return-to-office agenda for several reasons.

It should be noted that the WFH model dates back nearly three decades but was popularised and normalised by the pandemic just a few years ago. Covid-19 ensured that it became standard operating procedure for millions of workplaces.

But where once remote and hybrid options were being talked of as the future of work, there has since been a reversal of this flexibility.

Across both the public and private sector in Malaysia, the return-to-office push has been gathering steam, but are in-office workers more engaged and productive? The results are inconclusive.

One man who has bucked the trend is Malaysian Aviation Group’s (MAG) group managing director Datuk Captain Izham Ismail.

Under his stewardship, the group began piloting WFH arrangements from as early as August 2019, reflecting MAG’s commitment to driving workplace flexibility.

This “Flexi Work Arrangement” allowed employees to choose their work location on Fridays (or Thursdays in certain states) to support productivity and work-life integration.

Subsequently, WFH was formally implemented across the group in March 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the aim of safeguarding employee well-being while ensuring business continuity.

It was a bold move for Malaysia Airlines then but continuing with this hybrid work arrangement has been seamlessly integrated into the company.

“MAG has 13,000 employees, but at present, approximately 15% of our total workforce, comprising primarily office-based employees across the group, continue to adopt a hybrid working arrangement.

“Operational and frontline employees, including flight and ground crews, are required to be physically present at their respective workplaces to support essential services,” said Captain Izham.

Should the civil service and the private sector take a leaf out of Malaysia Airlines? I believe that MAG’s model strikes the right ­balance between ensuring control over staff and creating employee job satisfaction.

The airline has observed ­modest reductions in operational costs such as utilities and office consumables, but the primary focus of implementing hybrid work arrangements has been employee well-being and business resilience.

“What’s important is not where the team is, but how effectively we work together. We focus on empowering our people, cultiva­ting a culture of trust, and ensuring everyone is clear on their roles and expected outcomes.

“Furthermore, the success of our collaborative efforts and individual contributions is anchored in clearly defined and measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

“These KPIs allow us to track progress objectively, assess the impact of our work, and identify areas for improvement, ensuring that our activities, whether in person or virtual, directly contribute to the group’s communication objectives,” Captain Izham said.

We know that young people who are entering the workforce place a high value on a flexible working arrangement. A new LinkedIn survey shows that 60% of applications on the platform ask for remote or hybrid jobs.

Companies that provide this type of flexibility become more attractive to Gen Zs who are just starting their careers.

For conglomerates like MAG, the hybrid work arrangement is a valued benefit for prospective ­talents, enhancing the company’s ability to attract and retain skilled professionals in a competitive job market.