KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — Cuepacs has urged the government and private sector employers to provide facilities such as Internet access and laptops to staff who work from home (WFH) in furtherance of the government desire to extend the WFH arrangement.

Its president, Adnan Mat, said facilities similar to what employees enjoy at the workplace should be provided at home to ensure that the WFH arrangement produces the desired outcome and productivity.

“It is pointless for us to implement the WFH concept if the desired outcome or productivity is not achieved due to the unsuitable working environment and the employees eventually get blamed for that.

“If this concept is to be introduced, it has to be planned with a comprehensive approach so that it does not turn out to be a futile exercise,” he said in a statement here today.

Advertisement

In a pre-recorded Women’s Day 2021 message yesterday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had said the government is considering extending the WFH arrangement for both public and private sector employees to enable them care for ailing family members or, in the case of men, to help their wives look after a new-born child.

Describing the proposal as giving new hope to women employees, Adnan also urged the Public Service Department and the Human Resource Ministry to immediately look into the proposal.

He said the WFH measure can raise national productivity and increase participation of women in the labour market.

Advertisement

Based on statistics, only 55.3 per cent of the working-age population of women are in the labour market compared to 80.7 per cent in the case of men, he said, adding that this is a huge gap. — Bernama