6 in 10 M’sian Workers Favour Flexibility Over 4-Day Workweek

According to a poll conducted by the global market intelligence business Qualtrics, six out of ten Malaysian employees would choose flexibility over a four-day work week, preferring the ability to work anytime they want over one fewer day at work.

In South-East Asia (SEA), flexibility is a stronger retention driver (66%) than a four-day work week (50%). Longer hours (68%), dissatisfied customers (62%), and company performance were the top concerns among Malaysian respondents (65% ).

As a result, SEA businesses are examining methods of gauging performance other than hours spent in the office.

 

67% say their job is the primary source of mental health issues​

According to Qualtrics' research, the impact of new methods of working on health and wellbeing is significant, with 67 per cent reporting that their job is the primary source of mental health difficulties.

The statistics also underscore the impact of changing ways of working on career growth, with 67 per cent of employees worried about their future.

According to the survey, the combination of the findings emphasises the importance of recognising individual needs within the workforce to allow employers to take targeted initiatives that ensure no one falls behind."

It also said that one potential answer to the issues faced by new working models is to have employee performance judged by results instead of hours and days worked, with 89 per cent of respondents approving of this approach.

Respondents throughout SEA, in particular, cite better efficiency, focus, and recognition as the top motivations for doing so, with 26 per cent expecting to work fewer hours.

According to Qualtrics, an overwhelming majority of respondents also welcome their company offering paid mental health days, with 94 per cent believing these would be a suitable long-term solution to ensure good mental health.

 

A results-based work model could be the answer

With companies increasingly attempting to embrace innovative working methods, Qualtrics' findings emphasise the necessity of understanding how workers want to work and the accompanying benefits and drawbacks.

Qualtrics proposed a results-based work model in which employees are paid for attaining specific goals.

According to Lauren Huntington, Qualtrics employee experience solution strategist of SEA, employers must not lose sight of the reality that what employees actually want and have been accustomed to is the flexibility to modify their work schedules to fit the demands of their lives.

"Increasingly, we are seeing people make career decisions and find fulfilment in their jobs by working for organisations that truly understand and respond to their needs and where they feel they belong.

"That is why the most important part of any working model is not simply the hours or days worked. Rather, it is being able to understand and meaningfully deliver what people want and expect to ensure everyone, including customers, benefit from the transformations underway," she said.

 

Source: The Malaysian Reserve