Malaysia’s work-from-home policy sparks loneliness

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian programme to encourage civil servants to work from home is making husbands lonely and wives suspicious, a minister has said.

Some of the civil servants allowed to work from home under the works ministry programme have admitted to feeling “lonely”, says Works Minister Shaziman Abu Mansor.

Another problem being faced by couples is that working wives do not want their husbands to be at home along with their maids.

Shaziman said this was the initial feedback from among the 39 ministry staff members chosen to take part in the pilot project for three months from Jan 1 this year.

“Some of them are also married couples working in the same department. One spouse didn’t want her husband to work at home alone with their maid,” he told the national assembly Monday.

Despite such a feedback, Shaziman said the programme had been found to be successful.

The project was created to find out whether it could help boost productivity and output among government workers.

Shaziman said the work-from-home programme had been carried out successfully in several multinational firms.