KUALA LUMPUR – As the majority of Malaysia’s workforce continues to work from home, the UOB ASEAN Consumer Sentiment Study has found that flexible work arrangements are critical to achieving work-life balance as part of new working norms post-COVID-19.
More than eight in 10 Malaysian employees polled (81%) expect that work-life balance will improve as working from home regularly becomes a permanent work option. 74% of respondents also expect their productivity will improve as they have greater freedom over how they manage their working hours.
However, the firmness of this view varied significantly across the different age groups. The belief that the flexibility to manage one’s working hours will result in higher productivity was most strongly-held by Generation Z (87%) and Generation Y (78%) employees. In comparison, 67% of Generation X respondents shared the same opinion.
The UOB ASEAN Consumer Sentiment Study also found that nine in 10 Malaysian employees expect flexible working arrangements to become more common in a post-COVID-19 environment. The sentiment was highest among Generation X (94%), followed by Generation Y (88%) and Generation Z (87%).
The expectation that flexible working arrangements will continue post-pandemic is unsurprising given that more than one in two employees (55%) in Malaysia expressed satisfaction in their employers with regards to providing flexible work arrangements during the pandemic. This percentage is the highest level of satisfaction among the five ASEAN countries covered in the study.
Malaysian employees’ optimism over the future of work-life balance comes despite their bleaker sentiments on the impact of COVID-19 on job security. The UOB ASEAN Consumer Sentiment Study found that nine in 10 employees in Malaysia (90%) feel they need to work longer hours to avoid losing their jobs. A similar trend was also seen across other ASEAN markets surveyed including Indonesia (92%), Thailand (87%), Singapore (89%) and Vietnam (90%).
Mr. Lai Tak Ming, Executive Director and Country Head of Human Resources, UOB Malaysia, said the pandemic has changed how organisations function. The changes made and the lessons learned during the health crisis will continue to shape the future of work and the workplace in a post-COVID-19 world.
Prioritising the Well-Being of Employees
The impact of COVID-19 on people’s lives has also given rise to concerns about their well-being with three in five Malaysian residents (60%) worried about their mental health and happiness. Also, 76% of Malaysian employees believe their employers will pay more attention to their staff’s well-being as a result of the lessons of COVID-19.
Among these respondents, those between the age of 18 to 23 years old (69%) and 24 to 39 years old (65%) expressed the greatest concern over their emotional well-being. These two groups of respondents also have the strongest view that their employers will focus more on workforce well-being.
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