Companies to Adopt Hybrid Arrangement When Economic Sectors Reopen

Businesses are expected to utilise a hybrid of on-site and remote for the time being when economic sectors in Malaysia reopen. 

As the Covid-19 pandemic is still posing a threat and employees are used to working from home, there is a high chance they will only return to physical worksites steadily. 

Hybrid working system in the near future

The president of the Malaysian Employers Federation, Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman, predicts a hybrid system of working from home and in the office being implemented by companies when economic sectors gradually reopen. 

He said that considering variants that could lead to superspreader events, employers should initially set up at least two groups of workers. The groups can switch between working in the office and from home if the nature of the work allows it. This strategy makes sense for long-term business continuity and the company's survival. 

He added that if companies rushed to return to business as usual, it might expose workplaces to a Covid-19 outbreak. 

Getting used to the new normal

The President of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers, Tan Sri Soh Thian Lai, stated that Covid-19 had changed how business operations were run.

He said that most companies had already accepted that today's business operations, guided by the Covid-19 standard operating procedures, remote working arrangements and other factors, would be the new normal going ahead.

According to him, most companies use different strategies as part of their continuity strategy to ensure that operations do not come to a halt. They are taking a multipronged approach in their operations and focusing on digitalisation and automation that help them operate core activities remotely. 

He added that these approaches, including utilising a more permanent or semi-permanent work-from-home (WFH) culture, would vary between companies depending on their industry, resources and operations. 

Soh urged the government to support companies that included the WFH practice by ensuring the labour laws were flexible enough to adjust to these arrangements. It should also provide the necessary protection for workers and employers, and assist employers who had to invest in equipping their workers with the tools to work from home. 

The hybrid work arrangement is seen as the way to go when the economic sectors reopen.

Do workers prefer hybrid working arrangements?

In the United States, big tech companies such as Facebook and Twitter have announced that their employees can continue working from home for the long term after the pandemic.

According to Slack's 2020 global survey of over 9,000 knowledge and office workers, 72% wanted to keep the hybrid remote-office work model.

Malaysian office workers said it would take some effort to return to the office as they are now used to WFH culture. 

Daniel Lee, 31, said he would have to get used to commuting to and from work. He also said he is used to getting on virtual calls that he can immediately set up. 

He added that if he were to return to the office, he did not think people will be as understanding in terms of setting up meetings on such notice. On hybrid arrangement, he said that the entire workforce needs to be aware and plan ahead to sync up schedules with other coworkers. 

Irene Choo, 27, said it would not be an easy transition to return to the office. She said that she did not have to waste time commuting and became more efficient when working from home. 

She also said that one downside to WFH is that some supervisors felt the need to regularly check her work progress throughout the day.

Source: The Star

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