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Get Ready Employees! You Can Request For Flexible Work Arrangements From Your Employer Starting 1 September

Get Ready Employees! You Can Request For Flexible Work Arrangements From Your Employer Starting 1 September

With the Employment Act amendment coming to force on Sept 1, employees can apply for Flexible Working Arrangments (FWA) to their employers.

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The pandemic hit us when we least expected it. One moment we’re accustomed to working in offices and the next, we’re working in our house with distractions everywhere.

Then when we finally got the hang of working remotely from home efficiently, we were told to go back to the office again now because it’s endemic. For some people, changes can be quite hard, especially if you’re not easily adaptable.

READ MORE: Malaysia Ranks 7th In Asia-Pacific For Travel And Remote Working

Well, fret not, Malaysians. If you think you’re more efficient and productive by working from home or even working at non-traditional hours/days, you can ask your employers for a flexible working arrangement.

Flexible Working Arrangement (FWA)

According to Bernama, employees who want to work flexibly can apply for the Flexible Working Arrangement (FWA) with their respective employers under the amendment to the Employment Act 1955 which will be effective on 1 September.

The FWA application must be made in writing and can cover changes in working hours, working days and also the place of work, said Deputy Minister of Human Resources, Datuk Awang Hashim.

(Credit: Freepik)

For the employers, they must reply to the application whether to agree or reject it within 60 days, also in writing. Should they reject the application, the reasons for doing so must also be clear.

He said that yesterday while he was officiating the Northern Region Industrial Harmony Symposium programme, held to improve the relationship between employers and employees in safeguarding industrial harmony as well as increasing the level of legal compliance.

Four Days A Week Sounds Promising…

Additionally, Awang also said that a study had also been conducted on working four days a week to ensure that employers did not face severe effects if it was implemented in the future.

Studies are still being conducted and so far, we have seen that the four working days have not reduced employee productivity.

If there are employers who are affected, we will take into account the study to discuss further in the ministry.

Datuk Awang Hashim, Deputy Minister of Human Resources

Meanwhile, according to economist Professor Emeritus Dr Barjoyai Bardai, he said that Malaysia is not ready to implement the four-day working week policy as it was first implemented in some developed countries due to the factors of low productivity.

READ MORE: Will 4-day workweeks ever be possible in Malaysia?

Besides that, according to a report from Qualtrics, it is said that six in 10 employees in Malaysia would prefer flexibility over a four-day work week.

(Credit: Freepik)

Flexibility here means having control over the hours they wanna work, working remotely, choosing the days they work, and also being measured by performance, not hours.

While working four days a week has its benefits too (improve health and well-being), there are concerns regarding longer hours, frustrated customers and company performance.

Well, what do you think? Do you prefer to have control over your hours or work only four days a week?

READ MORE: Johor Might Implement Four-And-A-Half Day Working Week Soon, Report Says


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