When employees were forced to work from home during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sam Chua was bombarded with a host of questions from his subordinates.
“They wanted to know if the company would provide gadgets and internet services. They also wanted to know if it was okay for them to not respond after 5pm,” said Chua, who manages a department in a financial institution in Kuala Lumpur.
“It was an unprecedented period for us. There were no specific allowances for gadgets or the internet. I even had someone ask me if the company would provide a chair. Eventually, there was some form of allocation provided, and the staff had to claim for it. But it was unwritten.”
Did working from home disrupt productivity?
“Yes, and no. For some, they were productive. There were others who got distracted, and this affected work. So, it was more of an individual thing. It’s the same at work too, to be honest.”
As for Chua, 41, work-from-home meant work started the minute he woke up, and ended the minute he slept.
“For us managers, there’s just no downtime. You have to ensure you take those short breaks, even lunch breaks. I’ve taken my breaks for granted, only to realise that I’ve been stuck in my chair the whole day.”
The Malaysian Employers Federation recently said that many bosses would prefer their employees work from the office, adding that some employees were open to the idea of taking a pay cut if they were allowed to continue to work from home.
The federation also said those who worked from home should not be given travel allowances.
This, however, drew criticism from certain quarters, including MPs, who said those who worked from home had to pay additional electricity and internet bills.
Susan Phua, who works in the service industry, admitted it remained a difficult period, even as Malaysia transitioned from Covid-19 pandemic to the endemic phase, starting April 1.
“For those involved in sales, their travel allowances have not been cut, despite working from home and meeting clients online. Yet, some of them still filed claims for data usage. I feel it’s quite selfish. If the travel allowances are removed and the company pays for the internet, the company actually saves more.
“We must view this from both sides (from the employers’, and the employees’ perspectives). Not all companies made money, and as such, they had to cut certain allowances. But, at the same time, some employees need to be compensated as they don’t have the right tools, and this can disrupt work.”
Phua, 42, admitted that her company had saved on utility bills since the start of the various lockdowns imposed in 2020.
“As we don’t have a centralised air-conditioning system, our electricity bill dropped drastically. There’s a significant drop in medical claims, too. The same goes with cleaning services, as we reduced the manpower from our vendor since we only had a handful of people coming to the office.”
Despite these “savings”, more and more companies are requesting that their staff return to the office.
G. Suresh, 39, who works for an IT solutions company, called on companies to look at their existing policies and ensure that the do’s and don’ts of working at home are clearly spelt out.
“Let’s not kid ourselves. We know of so many people who tend to ‘ular’ (go out) when they are supposed to be at work. I know of some people who attend meetings while driving their children to school, or while in the hypermarket buying groceries,” said Suresh.
“While some may find this acceptable, the quality of the work comes into question. Is the person merely being present, or providing valuable input? Is the meeting truly necessary? With internet and phone lines being so unstable these days, are such meetings productive or disruptive?
“Right now, this whole thing is open to interpretation, because there are no clear, written guidelines. When in the office, people go for breaks, but when it comes to working from home, employees receive phone calls or sit in meetings throughout the day, even when they are supposed to be on their break. This is just not right.”
Suresh hoped the work-from-home conversation would not stop once people returned to the offices.
“Some companies still believe in working remotely. Most have implemented the hybrid system. More and more companies now want their staff to return to the office. Regardless, the management should spend time looking at every detail and come up with clear rules so that the managers and staff know what can, or cannot be done, while working remotely,” he said.
