Malaysia’s new Hybrid Workday (HBH) policy for civil servants has started, allowing eligible officers to work three days in the office and up to two days from home or alternative locations.
But don’t get too excited just yet, not every civil servant will be allowed to WFH.
Who can WFH?
The arrangement depends on the nature of the job and approval from the respective department heads.
Essential services that require officers to be physically present are excluded, including counter services, security, defence, enforcement, education, healthcare and the courts.
Department heads also have the authority to determine who is eligible, require officers to return to the office on a WFH day when necessary, or withdraw the arrangement if conditions are not met.
3 days in office, 2 days WFH
For states where Sunday is the weekly holiday, Monday and Friday will be compulsory office days.
For Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, officers must be in the office on Sunday and Thursday.
The third office day will be decided by the respective department head, while the remaining two days may be allocated for WFH, subject to eligibility and other conditions.
Eligible officers also no longer need to apply for separate approval each time they want to WFH, as the hybrid arrangement is now part of the permanent work arrangement.
“No internet? No excuse.”
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said concerns that civil servants might blame poor internet connections or fail to complete their work while WFH should not arise.
He said department heads approving WFH arrangements are responsible for ensuring officers have adequate internet access, a suitable working environment and clear KPIs.
In other words, the responsibility doesn’t stop once an officer is allowed to work from home.
Work still has to be done
Shamsul Azri said officers will be assessed based on the work they actually deliver.
For example, if an officer is given 14 tasks for the day, those tasks must be completed and submitted before the officer ends their working hours.
“Before he clocks out, those 14 tasks must be submitted first,” he said.
Department heads will monitor performance based on the agreed KPIs and work outcomes.
Clock in, clock out
Attendance will also be monitored through the SPOT-Me system.
Public Service Department director-general Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz said officers only need to record their attendance when they start and end work. This is a change from an earlier proposal that would have required officers to record their attendance every hour.
He said the system was designed to make attendance monitoring more organised without unnecessarily burdening civil servants.
So, can civil servants really WFH twice a week?
Yes, but only if they are eligible.
The HBH policy is designed to give civil servants more flexibility while ensuring government services continue running smoothly.
Officers must remain contactable, comply with the Official Secrets Act 1972, meet their KPIs and report to the office whenever directed.
So while the traditional five-day office week is changing for eligible civil servants, WFH isn’t exactly a free pass to work from the sofa with no strings attached.
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