I CAN’T imagine my colleagues refusing to take my calls or text messages after 5pm or during weekends.
But that’s because I have worked in the media all my life. Working in the newsroom is exciting because the unexpected always happens and we are expected to be on the alert.
I remember my then news editor Nizam Mohamad looking at me sternly, saying I should join the civil service if I wanted to leave the office at 5pm.
If that wasn’t enough, we happily joined him for late supper after work, which was usually after midnight.
Second, I am a baby boomer, someone born between 1946 and 1964, a reference to a member of the generation born during the population surge in that period.
We treated our jobs and took our superiors seriously.
Most of us, rightly or wrongly, stuck to one employer.
Finally, I am an Asian. The idea of comparing my work culture with those from New Zealand, Spain, France, the United Kingdom and Canada, seems farfetched.
I take pride in the Confucian value that working hard is simply part of being a good person.
The Chinese philosopher’s work ethic also consists of loyalty to the organisation, thrift, dedication, social harmony, love for education, wisdom, and concern for social propriety.
These Western countries finished top in a recent survey for work-life balance out of 60 countries in the Global Life-Work Balance Index.
Well, to my surprise, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and China actually beat us.
Malaysia was ranked the second-worst country with Nigeria in the last spot.
It also amazed me that the United States was placed 53rd out of the 60 nations surveyed.
The survey was compiled by a human resources solutions company known as Remote, the index reviewed the 60 highest GDP nations with data collected and analysed in March 2023.
Malaysia was ranked 59th out of 60 with a meagre score of 27.51 out of 100, placing us right above Nigeria which scored 17.03.
The study recorded an average workweek of 40.8 hours along with an annual leave of 19 days, and a minimum wage of only US$1.07 (RM4.72) per hour.
Malaysia’s score was 5.71 out of 10 with regard to the happiness index, along with a score of 9 out of 100 for the LGBTQ + inclusivity index.
In fact, Malaysia ranked lowest among Asian countries, compared with Singapore which was placed 19th and Taiwan at 16th.
The survey did not say on what basis the 60 countries were chosen, only that the index was put together based on workplace related factors such as mandatory annual leave, sick pay, maternity leave, healthcare and overall happiness.
One big factor that was included in the survey was LGBTQ+ inclusivity, which must have dragged down most Asian countries except for Taiwan that scored 60 points.
Taiwan legalised same sex marriage in 2019 while Singapore has allowed same sex activity.
Singapore scored 50, South Korea 54 and Thailand 53 under this category while Malaysia managed only 15 points.
At the top spot was New Zealand, where employees only worked 26.3 hours per week, which scored 78 points for LGBTQ+ inclusivity.
The LGBTQ+ factor presumably dragged Malaysia, which almost all media did not point out.
I do not think that most Malaysians, including even millennials, accept the idea of putting in so little time for productivity as much as we all agree on work-life balance.
Malaysia, like many developing countries, needs to work harder to catch up. Comparisons with these Western developed countries seem out of sync.
Like many Malaysians, I am surprised that China outranked us. It was at 47th spot but the long working hours in China are well-known. The standard work-hour system is about 40 hours a week in China.
It would be horrendous for them to know that New Zealanders put in just 26.3 hours per week!
It depends on how one looks at it – is it being over-worked or hard-working? Certainly, the Chinese workers are among the best in the world although Alibaba’s founder Jack Ma’s working philosophy was severely criticised, even in China.
He caused a controversy when he advocated a 996-working week – which means 9am-9pm, six days a week. The Chinese government responded by rightly saying it was illegal.
China has seven public holidays, which is among the lowest in the world, in comparison with Malaysia, which is among the highest in the region, if not the world.
Although we have about 16 paid holidays, Malaysians are known for extending long weekends to tie in with the national and state public holidays.
Occasionally, we even have “cuti bola speak” (football holidays).
We even have a replacement holiday if the declared holiday falls on a Sunday.
In 2018, Malaysia went to ridiculous lengths when a “cuti protes” was declared by the Kelantan government to allow its people to travel to Kuala Lumpur to take part in a protest against the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd).
There will be Malaysians who agree with the survey by Remote while others would disagree, but certainly, we all long for a better and more balanced work-life.
Still, it’s just the findings of one company, which isn’t authoritative, but improve our work conditions we must!
