Malaysians put in long hours at work out of necessity

[hokkien]

The Star/Asia News Network
Saturday, Nov 24, 2012
PETALING JAYA - Malaysians put in long hours at work out of necessity as they need to make more money.

MTUC president Mohd Khalid Atan said many worked overtime as they got triple the daily salary rate on public holidays and double on rest days.

“According to a survey by the Labour Department, 35% to 40% of our private sector workers in most industries earn less than RM700 (S$277). How can they cope with the current rising cost of living with such a salary?” he said in an interview.

Mohd Khalid was responding to Expedia’s 2012 Vacation Deprivation Survey that showed Malaysia has the world’s fourth most dedicated workforce, after India, Brazil and Italy, with almost 90% of employees working even when they are on holiday.

A total of 40% of respondents said they were reluctant to go on vacation because they feared their bosses would not be happy about it.

Khalid said he has received complaints that some employers deducted incentives and allowances of their workers when they went on annual leave.

“I have seen this when I was working in a factory for 17 years and it’s still happening today,” he said.

Cuepacs president Datuk Omar Osman said it was unfair to ask civil servants to cancel their planned vacation with their families.

“Bosses should have a contingency plan if an employee is going on holiday,” he said.

He said he has received many complaints from civil servants that their department heads have “threatened” to take action against them if they refuse to work on their offdays.

When asked if employees should still respond to calls or e-mails related to work when on leave, Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said certain conditions need to be met.

“If the matter is urgent and the employee has been the only one managing a particular task, then it is reasonable to respond as it could affect the business of the company.

“However, if it can wait, then it would be unreasonable for the employer to push their employee to work during their leave,” he said.

myStarjob.com editor and Leaderonomics CEO Roshan Thiran said the productivity of the workforce was still low.

“We need to figure out how we can increase our productivity by doing as much as before but in less time,” he said.

He added employees should not fear having to take time off to revitalise as they would get burnt out if they don’t.

 

[mamadrama]

India, Brazil, Italy and Malaysia topped this survey? Aiyoyo I dont believe this at all.

 

[hokkien]

Long hours but super slow in work

 

[hokkien]

The Star/Asia News Network
Saturday, Nov 24, 2012
GEORGE TOWN - For the workaholics, they would love to work round the clock if they could.

Retail store manager Saraswathy Nayar (above) said she had been putting in about 13 hours of work a day, six days a week, for the past year.

“I start at 10am and will work until 11pm or midnight.

“It is my responsibility to make sure things run smoothly for the company,” said Saraswathy, 27.

Admitting that she is “married” to her job, the mass communication graduate said even during the Deepavali break she still did some work via e-mail.

“I don’t mind the extra hours because I enjoy working,” she said, adding that she was tasked to overlook four outlets of her company.

Saraswathy, who is single, said she was not entitled to overtime pay but her effort would determine her performance bonus and annual increment.

“My parents are making noise, asking me when I will settle down. For now, work comes first,” said Saraswathy, who owns three handphones to make sure her colleagues could reach her anytime.

“I have a phone just for work e-mails, another for other calls and one more in case a phone runs out of battery,” she said.

Engineer Patrick Lim, 30, takes his laptop with him whenever he goes on holiday because of the endless work e-mails.

“I don’t really have a choice. Sometimes there are last minute requests from clients that I have to respond to immediately,” he said, adding that it has become a habit to frequently check his e-mails on his smartphone.

Lim said he worked most weekends, especially when he was involved in projects.

“I try to go on holiday at least twice a year, but even then I still have to make work-related phone calls,” he said.

A procurement specialist, who only wanted to be known as Mohd Radzi, said his two children always complained that he spent too much time at work.

“I rarely go on holiday and I have not taken any medical leave since I joined the company a year and a half ago,” said the 43-year-old.

Mohd Radzi starts work as early as 7am and goes on until almost 10pm each day. He said he was usually in the office even on weekends.

“When you enjoy your work, you don’t mind putting in those extra hours,” he said.

Motion graphic artist Mohd Nazeer, 24, said he only met his good friends about once a month, as most of his time was spent with co-workers.

He said he seldom made plans anymore with his friends as he did not want to cancel the date due last minute work.

Nazeer said he would feel restless when he was not working during the weekends, adding that he felt guilty about taking sick leave.

“I always feel something needs to be done even though I do not know what it is,” he said.

 

[siongkia]

Long hours but super slow in work

Like some of the Sunday part time maids.

 

[moolightaffairs]

Long hours but super slow in work

yes and the matland people come to sg also bring this habit to sg. especially those who join civil service.

 

[Leongsam]

Dumb people need to work harder to make up for their shortcomings.

 

[Rambutan]

Putting in long hours is bad for health in the long run - medically, socially and psychologically. It is better to get the job done efficiently and have a more balanced life.

The case of Retail store manager Saraswathy Nayar who is putting in about 13 hours of work a day, six days a week, for the past year is nothing to be proud of. She maybe a workaholic and enjoys doing so. If for some reasons she is asked to leave the firm - such as company going belly up, will that be the end of her world?

But for most, such arrangement will lead one to burn out in no time. Only a question of when.

 

[The_Hypocrite]

Wow,,its really good to be boss as with such dedicated workers,,,sure got good profits,,,

 

[chupacabra]

Gonna hijack this tread and say that the Star Vista shopping centre sucks ballls. No aircon.! WTfuck! Stupid idea. They think peesai like Europe can build outdoor type shopping centre.

 

[po2wq]

Malaysians put in long hours at work out of necessity ...

sinkies put in loong hours of wok out of wayang! ...

 

[Squirrel]

sinkies put in loong hours of wok out of wayang! ...

Everyone doing it out of 'paiseh' or fearing their bosses will give bad comments about their early departures. Face saving as well as butt saving. May get 'marked' for 'golden' handshakes.

 

[GoldenDragon]

Long hours but super slow in work

Imo, super slow in work. Therefore, long hours needed.

 

[mojito]

Want OT pay, so purposely do slow is common for blue collar work. White collar work in SG no OT pay, therefore hire more people from their own hometown/state/university is the norm.

This trend can no longer be ignored.