EMPLOYEES do not feel comfortable going to the office due to the high number of Covid-19 cases but an employers’ group cautioned that this could breed inefficiency, damage work relationships, and demotivate employees if not properly structured and monitored.

The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) said productivity levels of employees who are working from home are generally lower as opposed to being in the office.

But employees told The Malaysian Insight that they prefer working from home for the time being until the number of Covid-19 cases drops.

Kenny Raj, 34, said he feels unsafe going to office on a daily basis as the number of Covid-19 cases are at the 30,000 mark.

“In the office, we have employees who are not always wearing their masks and that can lead to cases spreading.

“The worst time to be in the office is during lunch break since there is no social distancing and no one wears a mask at the pantry,” said Kenny, who is in the marketing industry.

He said employers should understand the concerns of employees who have to come into the office on a daily basis.

“Most of us have families who are either elderly, or children, so if we get infected they could be in real danger,” Kenny said.

Another employee who only wanted to be known as Jeff said the government should force companies to implement work from home instead of just advising them.

Jeff said that by the looks of it, the number of Covid-19 cases will only keep rising if the work from home arrangement is not implemented.

“By looking at how the Johor polls are going to be held, the cases will definitely increase.

“Some of my colleagues are also going back to Johor to vote so I am worried they might bring the virus here, said Jeff, who is in the advertising industry.

Meanwhile Sandra Teoh, 29, said she is fine with going to the office but her only concern is her family at home.

“My mother is 63 years’ old and has asthma so she is my biggest concern every time I get back home from work,” Teoh said.

“Sometimes I do consider getting a place to stay by myself but getting a place in Kuala Lumpur is not cheap as well.

“We have brought the work from home order to our management but no decision has been made although it has been two weeks,” she said.

Public transport concerns

Meanwhile, Muhd Firman, 24, who travels to work on the Light Railway Transit (LRT), said the LRT is always packed and he is worried that he will get infected.

“I do not have a car so public transport is my only way to commute to work,” he said.

“That hour-long journey is the scariest because in the morning the LRT is packed with people and you barely have space to move.”

Firman, who works as an accountant, said that his job allows him to work from home.

“All I need is my laptop, so I do not understand why do I have to go the office,” he said.

“I hope the government will force employers to implement the work from home arrangement because if they only say it as an advice, no employer will follow it.”

Another employee, Sarah Nabila, 25, who travels to work by public transport also agreed with Firman, saying the trains are always packed to and from work.

“My journey from Subang to Bangsar is about 40 minutes one way and although the duration is short, I still don’t feel safe seeing so many people in the train,” Sarah said.

“I still remember last year when they did not allow 100% capacity in the train and it made me feel a bit safer travelling to work but it is not the same now,” said Sarah, who is a graphic designer.

“Sometimes I feel like our employers do not care about us employees. More than 30,000 cases a day is no joke and at this rate it looks like anyone can get infected with the virus,” she said.

Meanwhile, MEF president Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman said the Covid-19 Epidemic Employee Pulse Survey Report Malaysia stated 77% of employees have indicated a drop in their productivity levels when they worked at home and only 23% of employees were able to maintain the same or higher productivity levels.

He said not all employees’ tasks can be performed remotely, so the management has to make work arrangements for these employees through staggered shifts and working hours.

“Teams working from home may face challenges such as lack of clarity and uncertainty about reporting on specific issues leading to delays,” Syed Hussain said.

“Also not all employees have the necessary tools and equipment to work from home.”

He said some companies provide claims for internet usage to specific employees to facilitate their work.

The Health Ministry yesterday reported 27,299 new Covid-19 infections.

The country has reported a high number of daily cases in the past week due to the highly infectious Omicron variant.

The Covid-19 death toll also continued to rise with 43 fatalities reported yesterday. – February 28, 2022.