5 Working Cultures in Malaysia Compared to Other Countries

Just like any other country, Malaysia also has its own working culture. But how does our culture compare to other countries’ culture?

1. Coffee breaks

In Malaysia, employees don’t usually have coffee breaks, mostly just lunch breaks. Though some companies do allow their employees to take a short break to refresh themselves later in the afternoon. 

In Sweden, they really take their coffee breaks seriously. They believe that taking breaks is an important key in productivity. They call their coffee breaks “Fika”. Fika gives Swedish workers a chance to relax and enjoy a beverage and a sweet with their coworkers. Some Swedish companies have formal fika, taking breaks daily at 9am and 3pm to invite conversation among staff.

2. Meeting times

Here, meetings do have “official” start times. But the problem is that we will also need that one person to gather everyone around and point them to the meeting place. Most people would just sit at their desks wondering about when they should go to the meeting.

This is also the case in India. According to The Economic Times, being 15 minutes late to a business meeting in India is still considered as on time. So if you’re used to the Malaysian system, you won’t have trouble working in India.

3. Logging off

In Malaysia, even after working hours we usually receive emails and messages regarding work. Of course, we are expected to reply them ASAP. It appears that we cannot disconnect from work, which probably causes problems to work-life balance.

But in France, employees are protected by a Right to Disconnect Law, which stipulates that most French professionals are not responsible for responding to emails that come in after hours. The lawmakers passed this law to protect employees from being overworked.

4. Working hours

Malaysian employees are used to 9 hour workday (with 1 hour of lunch break), with 5 days of working. In some industries such as F&B, some employees work 6 days. This is also a pretty normal working hours around the world.

But in China’s tech industry, the competition is so fierce that Chinese employees work from 9am to 9pm everyday for 6 days. This culture is known as “9-9-6”. Some of these tech companies that adopt this practice are Xiaomi and 58.

5. Parental leave

In Malaysia, private sector employees still receive 60 days of maternity leave. Unlike maternity leave, there is no law that actually requires employers to provide paternity leave.

In Iceland, when a family welcomes a newborn each parent gets three months of parental leave. Afterwards, they get an additional three months of leave to share. Moreover, each parent earns 80% of their pay while on leave. This allows both parents the opportunity to bond with their newborn.

Having Problems Hiring? Our recruitment experts are at your service, just register at AJobThing.com to schedule your free consultation.

Related articles

China's Intense "996" Work Culture

This Japanese Company Pays Its Workers to Sleep

These Companies Offer 'Dating Leave' for Single Women Over 30