KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — About half of Malaysian employees want a combination of working from home and the office after the pandemic, according to a poll by recruitment agency Randstad.

The Randstad Workmonitor survey revealed that 48 per cent of local respondents want such flexible work arrangements.

For comparison, an average of 35 per cent of respondents interviewed across 34 markets around the world think this hybrid schedule is the ideal work arrangement.

Randstad Malaysia head of operation Fahad Naeem said a further 14 per cent of respondents in Malaysia want to work from home permanently. This is the same as the global percentage of those who would like to work from home all the time.

"Flexible working policies can help reduce stress levels and boost morale as employees are able to find a way to strike a balance between their work and personal lives.

"However, remote working can also cost the organisation its culture as it can be difficult to foster relationships and replicate the energy required for effective collaborations,” he said in a statement today.

Naeem advised companies to take small steps towards finding a balanced strategy that can both retain its culture and meet employees’ expectations.

The survey was conducted online in October across 34 markets in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe with a minimum of 400 respondents in each market.

The study found that many employers have sped up on developing their technological capabilities to equip their staff with adequate hardware and software for remote working in response to the pandemic.

"More than four in five respondents (82 per cent) feel they have the equipment and technology to deal with the digitalisation in their job,” he said.

Meanwhile, eight in 10 respondents feel that their employers are supporting them mentally and emotionally through the pandemic.

One in three respondents wishes that their employer would provide an employee assistance programme post-Covid-19.

One in two respondents expects their employer to have good health policies and safety protocols (52 per cent) and access to health insurance (51 per cent), he said. — Bernama