Trade Unions Suggest Guidelines for Work-From-Home Arrangement

Trade unions propose that the government should create guidelines for employers and employees in managing the work from home arrangement. The Flexible Workplace Arrangement is highlighted in the National Economic Recovery Plan (Penjana).

The Union Network International-Malaysia Labour Centre (UNI-MLC) welcomes the government’s initiative in providing the Flexible Workplace Arrangement incentives and believes that the guidelines are the right step to facilitate the affairs of all parties and protect the rights of those who work from home.

UNI-MLC president Datuk Mohamed Shafie BP Mammal said, for example, it was to prevent undesirable events such as the sudden termination of workers as the culture of working from home could be practiced as a new custom.

“Flexibility in this work from home arrangement is a new culture, so trust between employers and workers should be an important matter since it involves both parties.

“For example, how an employer wants to create a KPI (key performance index) for a salary increase or bonus, this is a big question and there must be a reasonable approach,“ he said.

Many employees choose to work from home due to Covid-19 pandemic.

In concert with the opinion, Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) president Adnan Mat, stated the importance of the guidelines was aimed at enhancing the quality of work including facing the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) and any crisis.

“In this regard (like the COVID-19 pandemic), people’s safety has always been a priority for the government. If such a situation happens again in the future, work from home arrangements should be implemented in all sectors including public and private. In fact, this is a great idea because all sectors can still function even from home,“ he said.

On the productivity of working from home, Adnan said the department heads should play a role in supporting their employees so they can perform their jobs more efficiently.

“Monitoring by the head of the department is necessary to ensure that all involved are in compliance with work from home arrangement guidelines,“ he said.

More About Penjana

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced Penjana on June 5 to revive the economy after the Covid-19 pandemic. The plan outlined the three pillars of empowering the people, boosting business and stimulating the economy.

Under the measures of empowering the people, the short-term plan is also aimed at building an eco-system that can help workers return to work and adapt to new work norms through the Flexible Work Arrangement Incentives.

The incentive, for example, encouraged additional tax deductions on eligible expenditures for employers who implement or make improvements to existing work from home arrangement beginning July 2020.

The incentive also introduced an income exemption of up to RM5,000 for employees who receive benefits in the form of mobile phones, tablets, laptops from employers.

Source: BERNAMA

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