KUCHING: Sarawak Bumiputera Entrepreneurs Chamber (DUBS) president Datuk Abang Helmi Ikhwan said given the current stage of the country’s development, it is reasonable to consider the flexible working hour policy but not the four-day work week.
“In my opinion, flexible working hours may be necessary to suit specific circumstances such as for parents with schooling children.
“But if it is implemented, they should be required to make up for the lost working hours on the same day by having a shorter lunch break or clock out at a later time at the end of the day,” he said when contacted by the New Sarawak Tribune.
He felt that having a flexible work place is another option that should be looked into for those who can work online as they should be given flexibility to work from anywhere they like.
“It is, however, necessary to institute a good monitoring system to ensure high productivity. In such a case, production targets and employee Key Performance Index are a must,” he explained.
Commenting on four-day work week, Abang Helmi stated that it is only a recent phenomenon in first world countries which have high employee productivity.
“Malaysia, on the other hand, is still suffering from low productivity.
“Reducing one work day during the week will make Malaysia a less attractive country for investors and for business dealings both domestically and globally as this situation cannot increase employee productivity.
“One may argue that a four day work week could be implemented with longer working hours per day but this may not be favourable to both employees and employers as it will stress employees and reduce their productivity,” he said.
