KUALA LUMPUR: Ninety per cent of Malaysian employees prefered agile working as it allows them to maintain a good work-life balance, according to a survey conducted by global human resources firm, The Randstad Group.
In its Randstad’s Workmonitor, the firm said eight in 10 Malaysian respondents preferred the flexibility as they believed it can increase work productivity and improve job satisfaction.
“Agile working is gaining popularity in Malaysia, as more and more employees want to have autonomy in the way they work. However, as much as technology has helped made it possible to be more productive and creative at work, it can be quite frustrating and intrusive for those who feel that they need to respond to emails immediately, even during the weekends,” said Randstad Malaysia country manager Ryan Carroll.
“Flexible work arrangements can only improve work-life balance and boost productivity when ground rules are set and agreed upon between employers and their staff.”
Malaysian employees who have easy access to work via digital devices feel compelled to be “always-on‟ and are not always sure how and when to disconnect from work.
It is, however, the millennials (68 per cent) who feel more pressured to be “always-on‟ as compared to mature workers aged between 55 and 67 (39 per cent).
Randstad’s Workmonitor is a quarterly research on global employment trends.
The 2018 quarter one research was conducted between January and February 2018 with a minimum sample size of 400 interviews undertaken in each country.
Besides Malaysia, survey were conducted in Hong Kong, China and Singapore.