BOSSES TOLD TO CHANGE THEIR MINDSET

SHARED FROM

TheStar, Wednesday 20 November 2013

By P. Aruna

MEF: Those who work long hours not necessarily productive

 

Employers have been urged to rethink the way they view employee productivity by looking at their achievements and not the numbers of hours spent in the office.  Citing the lack of trust as the main reason most Malaysian employers did not allow flexible work arrangements, Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) executive director, Shamsuddin Bardan said this mind-set has to change.

Employees who spent long hours at the office were not necessarily productive.  Companies that practiced flexible work arrangements, including allowing employees to work from home, had found improved work quality and commitment and reduced stress level among its workers.  Most Malaysian companies are not ready and nit interested in implementing flexible working arrangement yet.  They are very traditional in their set up.  Work still means being away from home and being at work environment for 8 to 10 hours a day.

A mind-set change is needed among employers, who need to trust their employees enough to allow them to work from home.  The employees need to be responsible and not to misuse the freedom given to them.  It might not be possible to develop that trust within a year, but if done in stages, it is possible.

In a survey conducted on 199 companies last year, only 28.1% of them were found to be promoting work-life balance policies.  Most of the companies are multinational corporations.