NEWS: Working from home — a disabled civil servant tells his story

KUALA LUMPUR: Would working from home be beneficial or otherwise for civil servants? That question has been posed by many in the wake of news reports that the Public Works Department would be initiating a three-month Home Working Programme beginning Jan 1.

Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor had announced that the programme would involve 35 draughtsmen and the selected individuals would go through the trial period before the Government decided whether or not to continue with the programme.

The programme would cease if productivity did not increase, Shaziman was reported as saying in the news reports.

This drew positive response from the umbrella body for Malaysian civil servants, Cuepacs.

The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Service welcomed the move and said it would ease congestion at the work place and reduce the burden on government employees in terms of petrol expenses and travel time.

It would also allow the civil servants to spend more time with their families.

Cuepacs president Omar Osman said it was a wise move and has called for the programme to be extended to other ministries and government agencies.

A form of therapy

Actually, working from home already exists in the country’s civil service and has for quite some time but without much publicity. And the result was very positive.

That is a testimony from this writer who is an employee of an agency under the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry. He has been enjoying this facility since 2007.

This writer is a diabetic and had developed vascular problems in his right leg as a complication of this disease. He has to undergo heamodialysis three times a week due to the failure of his kidneys and became exhausted after each session.

In 2007, he had his right leg amputated below the knee and this made it difficult for him to move around. Anyway, he still went to his office to work, even using a wheelchair.

His superiors took notice of his problem and used their discretion to allow him some degree of flexibility in terms of working hours. They were understanding and kind enough to allow him to work from home using the Internet because all of his work is computer-based.

They even lent him a laptop computer that was linked to his office’s network system. Hence it was no surprise that despite the long hours that he needed for his dialysis sessions and other medical treatment, his productivity ever since he began working from home had doubled.

By working from home, he was able to sort out his work schedule because he has 24 hours at his disposal instead of the usual eight-hour working period in the office. This does not take into account the hours spent on time taken to travel and return from the office.

Good for the disabled

“Working at home means a lot for disabled civil servants. If they are tired they can take a rest. They have the opportunity to work even at night or in the wee hours of the morning,” said social activist Fatimah Mansur.

She said working from home would be like therapy to reduce stress at the work place. Among those who are suitable for this concept are those who have disabilities due to accidents or are suffering from chronic diseases.

“But you need good information and communications technology (ICT) to make this programme a success,” she said.

To Fatimah, working from home can be isolating but sometimes isolation when working does more good than harm.

“Working alone is good particularly when you have a deadline or a project that requires intense and specific concentration. By working at home, you can have this factor for a conducive work environment,” she said.

She said civil servants who have to take care of their young or sick children can apply to their respective employers to work from home.

“However not everybody can work from home. This programme is only suitable for those whose work is based on computers that are linked to the Internet and the office network,” she said.

By allowing civil servants to work from home, the Government would not lose those who are experts in their respective fields to premature retirement due to chronic diseases, and other problems.

“If the experts in the respective fields are retained, then this definitely ensures efficiency in the public service,” Fatimah said.

A similar move was initiated in Thailand last year, according to a report in The Nation newspaper. The Thai Government was looking into the possibility of having civil servants work from home under an “e-office” concept.

Private sector

To medical equipment supplier Robert Lee, working from home is ideal for him.

“I work from my house so I do not need to pay monthly rental on office space, apart from higher water and electricity bills,” he said.

“I only need a fax line and telephone connection, as well as one or two computers that have Internet links,” Lee said at his Bukit Rahman Putra home near here.

To this writer who is physically handicapped and finds difficulty in mobility, working from home gives him a boost in terms of productivity and he has the ICT facilities in the country to thank for it.

“The beauty of working from home is that you have 24 hours a day and seven days a week to work where you have the flexibility of choosing your own work schedule.

“Working in the office is very rigid where one has only eight hours to perform and this is a limit to productivity.” — Bernama