Due to pandemic COVID-19 spread in recent years, most of the workforce globally has been forced to continue to work from home. Our home where it used to be a sanctuary of safe zone and peace has changed drastically due to employer-mandated safety requirements.
| BENEFIT | CHALLENGE | |
| Preventing COVID-19 Spread | Working Space | |
| WFH will help reduce personnel contact with other people either in the office or during traveling to and from office to home or other locations. Therefore, the spread if any will be much controllable. | Not every employee level has a spacious home where they can assign specific space as a work area. Therefore, they will have to utilize any space they have such as living room etc. Even with the limitation of limited space and uncomfortable work areas, they will have to ensure their work task can be delivered timely. | |
| Optimizing Working Hours | Focus | |
| WFH can optimize working hours and can be done in a room alone where employee does not have to go out for lunch break with colleague. Sometimes eating and working can be done simultaneously thus reducing movement thus easing the task to be done any time either day or night time. | Subject to government regulation based on current situation, the day-care, pre-school or school have to be close to contain the spread of pandemic. With the imposed ruling, most of the parent will have to take care of their child and at the same time they also have to deliver their work tasks. | |
| Eliminate Travelling Time to Workplace | Proactive | |
| In Malaysia the most common transportation for employee are either motorcycle or car where they have to travel to the workplace before and after working hours. During that period, the traffic would become unpredictable however with WFH this heinous waste of time can be use to other task at home. | Not being able to focus will make employee to be non-proactive due the various limitations in the WFH environment. Employees are only able to take and perform the task based on their daily routine however their daily routine quantity could also be reduced further due to same reason. | |
| Flexible Working Hours | Work Deliverable | |
| With additional time at home, the work time can be plan much better together with other errand needed to be done at home. | Employers and employees all together have to change their work style which inclusive communication, documentation, procedures and etc. They will have to adapt to the new environment where some of the above have to be done via digital mean only. Thus, it can prone to misunderstanding or mistake. | |
| Reduce Personnel Expenses | Office Facility | |
| Certainly, with traveling to from office has been eliminated, the direct expenses related to it such as fuel, parking and toll can be omitted and use for other necessity. Indirect expenses such as car maintenance, schedule repair and etc also can be reduced accordingly. | In office, employer have provided complete facility such as computer, photocopier, internet connection, electricity, pantry, stationery and etc. Some, if not all of these facilities would not be available in employer home therefore, they will have to prepare it on their own. These will contribute to their monthly expenses indirectly since they will spend most of their time at home. |