Malaysians Leave Home Early And Sleep In The Car Before Work

Workers want companies to reinstate work-from-home arrangements.

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The problem of traffic congestion has caused urban commuters to leave home for work early.

Upon arriving at work, they would sleep in the car until office hours started.

Many urban office workers have chosen this option because they can no longer bear the pain of being stuck in traffic, with roads usually congested after 7 am.

Kosmo interviewed some office workers, and most said that instead of being stuck in traffic queues, it is better to go to work early and catch up on sleep.

This is so wrong and unhealthy 💩💩 pls don’t normalize this. Nanti bos kata “orang lain boleh je keluar rumah awal tido dalam kereta”.
— Afif 라히미 🏴 (@afifemi96) February 8, 2023

The news report resonated with many netizens, who said they go out at 5 am and sleep in the car until 9 am.

A netizen said it took him 1 hour and 15 minutes to go to work from Kajang to Kuala Lumpur.

He arrived at work early to avoid traffic jams and slept in the car.

Another netizen said that he left for work at 6:30 in the morning, slept in the car at 7 am when he arrived, and only entered the office when it was time for work.

What Is The Purpose Of Employees Coming To Work In The Office?

Many netizens believe this new normal is unhealthy and should not be normalized.

Some netizens suggested that the government provide incentives to encourage employers to implement homework.

They say this would solve the problem of traffic jams for employees commuting to and fro work.

Many netizens also hope companies will bring back the work-from-home concept, saying that this is the best solution to the traffic jam.

jalan jem sebab makin banyak kerate public transport pun sesak sebab makin ramai tenaga kerja tapi employer tetap bangsat tak nak 100% work from home sedangkan pkp 2 tahun bukti kukuh kerja masih berjalan macam biasa untuk yang work from home
— Tora As Sabeel (@shrayzer) January 31, 2023

tak boleh ke orang kerja KL Work From Home je hari-hari?
— Erik Ten Kip (@akiffmad) February 1, 2023

Some netizens even tagged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar, hoping the government could force employers to implement working from home.

They said companies should let computer-operated employees implement homework policies as all work is done on laptops, just like working from home.

At the same time, some netizens said that the new normal of sleeping in the car is wrong and unhealthy.

The pain is not only when going to work but also when going home, as some had to go home late to avoid traffic jams after work.

Already, some had fallen victim to crime.

A Twitter user named Izwan Izzat said a thief stole his belongings while sleeping in the car.

The thief also found his ATM card PIN and withdrew money from the bank.

Guys, if you have to sleep in the car for any reason, please please please lock the door. I just got robbed last night and I lost my bag, bank cards, cash. Almost everything except my phone 😞😢
— Izwan Izzat (@heyizwanizzat) February 11, 2023

Traffic Jam Affects Your Health

A previous study by the MARA University Of Technology (UiTM) showed that employees in the Klang Valley waste an average of 44 hours a month in traffic jams.

Most employees waste 1 to 2 hours a day trapped in traffic queues.

Because of traffic jam, I go out from the house 6 am and arrived 640 am, even though work starts at 8 am. And i return home late, 10 pm and up even though work ends at 7pm. And because of rent, instead of living in KV, i stay 40km away from KL. https://t.co/3QODFDPV5r
— hollis (@holiltheV) January 21, 2023

Being trapped in immobile or slow-moving traffic lanes for a long time can easily adversely affect emotions and psychology.

If an employee arrives at the company after experiencing a 2-hour traffic jam, the person will likely show negative behaviours such as impatience, lack of patience, and even irritability.

Therefore, the people are right in telling the government to implement work-from-home and flexible working hours.