Poll reveals majority of HR personnel prefer hybrid working system

Malaysia's private sector should take the lead in undertaking the change in what today's work culture directions should, said GKK Consultants group chief executive officer (CEO) Dr Gajendra Balasingham.

This is more so amid the strong recovery mode across all business sectors in the second half of 2022, he said in a statement here, today.

Some 68 per cent of the respondents wanted to continue with the hybrid-working model, 26 per cent preferred working from home and only a small six per cent felt that the return to office should be imposed, according to the poll conducted by training consultancy GKK Consultants which has offices in nine Asian countries.

The poll covered 1,300 respondents comprising clients holding senior management posts, founders and managing directors of companies, HR and talent acquisition specialists, as well as IT senior personnel.

The respondents said the hybrid model, borne out of the COVID-19 pandemic and which allows teams to work from home on an alternate basis, also suits the current technological era.

Gajendra said Malaysian employers should continue with the flexible, hybrid working pattern, with its benefits far outweighing so many hurdles currently faced, he said.

Changes should be made to the current work system and that most employees were adult enough and do not need much supervision with strict adherence to man-hours, as before.

Many employees who had experienced a whole new working approach these past few years, now want the greater flexibility and convenience to continue.

The six per cent in the poll who felt that the return to the office is imposed argued they wanted to physically watch and supervise their employees at the workplace.

A hybrid work schedule enables many employees to enjoy appreciable savings in commuting time and not waste valuable time caught in bad traffic, which has turned for the worse and more so taking into account added petrol usage, rising inflation and uncontrollable personal incidentals.

Gajendra said employers should be able to determine and select who merits the hybrid-working approach and who should work from the office, depending on the seniority of each employee, their maturity, work ethics and also work demands.

Allyssa Ng, a service delivery manager at Systal Technology Solutions and a working mother, fully supports working from home as it enables her to save time and be more productive compared to going to the office.

Dr Justin Nevis, founder and CEO of Wealth Vision Consulting, said he advocates for Malaysia's private-sector industry to follow a hybrid working environment.

"The hybrid approach enables staff, particularly the middle and senior management ones, to stay productive, whilst enjoying good work-life balance," he said.

Sajiv Nair, an IT manager at Global Enterprise International Malaysia, part of the Singtel Group, said a hybrid-working module would encourage everyone to work independently while at home and that teamwork could be nurtured when people are physically present in the office.

Gajendra said with the job market becoming rather challenging, employees are more careful to keep their jobs and work even more efficiently and with better productivity too, even if it means spilling into their family life, at times.

"Allow front-office and junior employees to return to office full time, whilst the middle management and senior ones follow a hybrid working pattern," he said.