Academic suggests govt allow working from home especially for Muslims during Ramadan
KUCHING: The government has been asked to consider allowing workers to work from home (WFH), especially Muslims throughout the Ramadan month.
In making the proposal, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia Faculty of Syariah and Law associate professor Dr Muzaffar Syah Mallow said this would allow Muslim to focus on their religious obligations during the fasting month.
“Fasting during the Ramadan month is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and must be observed by all devoted Muslims, who should be allowed to focus on their religious obligations peacefully throughout this month by granting them WFH.
“This should allow them to observe all the religious rituals as well as perform their duties and responsibilities without much hardship and difficulties,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Muzaffar opined that WFH would encourage a worklife balance lifestyle among all workers while helping to reduce traffic on the road and passengers on public transport.
According to him, the number of road accidents could also be reduced with less traffic on the road.
“It is important for us to accept the reality that our world has changed significantly since the pandemic. The time has come for us to adapt to the new working mode, which is preferable and relevant to the post-pandemic world.
“We cannot simply go back to the way of working life which we used to undertake pre-Covid19 such as travelling daily on the road, being caught in traffic jams, as well as staying in office buildings from morning until late evening.
“One thing which the Covid19 pandemic has taught us is the importance of practising work-life balance and be smarter in performing our duties and responsibilities,” he said.
The academician claimed that offering the flexibility of WFH would also help reduce the financial burden of workers, who could stay at home or any location deemed comfortable for them to carry out their duties.
He said the WFH policy would also enable workers to save their energy and time without having the need to face traffic congestion.
“Reducing workers’ burden and hardship could in the long-term reduce their stress level, allowing workers to do their jobs more effectively and thus increasing the level of productivity of the organisation,” he said.
According to him, workers need to change their mindset when it comes to certain activities related to their work.
“Workers in all sectors must adapt to the new norms and make use of the existing technology to carry out certain tasks.
“With the advancement of technology, there are many new and modern applications out there which can be used in the workplace in order for all workers to perform their basic duties and responsibilities without the need for them to be physically present at the workplace or in the office,” he added.