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Introduction
Malaysia is a multi-racial country with distinct characteristics in its political and leadership practices. It has witnessed a period of economic growth with a democratic authoritarian government. However, like in other countries in the world, the economy of the country faced multiple challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Several people lost their jobs, making others manage more work than they used to. As such, the vital issue related to workforce revitalization is the increased anxiety around job security and stress because of changes in work routines (Ipsos Malaysia, 2021). This essay will discuss the employee health and well-being issue prevalent among the Malaysian workforce after the COVID-19 pandemic in detail.
Background of the Issue
Employee health and well-being are referred to as the optimal physical and psychological state workers should be in. Manifestations of this concept and feelings of happiness, satisfaction, good physical form, and others. It is a company’s responsibility to ensure that employees are capable of fulfilling their duties. Concerning the Malaysian workforce, statistics show that 10% of employees lost their jobs, while others noted an increase in the level of work-related stress. Moreover, 74% of Malaysians feel insecure about their positions, which is a high percentage compared to the Global 56% (Ipsos Malaysia, 2021). Concerning Malaysian workers having to work from home, 63% of them reported difficulty finding a work-life balance, while around 60% have not received support from their companies with equipping their temporary workplaces. It directly results in the reduction in satisfaction and health of employees, thus deteriorating their work outcomes. It is evident that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected Malaysian workers which raises the necessity of strategies for workforce revitalization implementation.
Discussion of the Issue’s Importance
Employee well-being is crucial for organizations, as its deterioration directly results in inadequate working outcomes. Feeling healthier and happier in all areas of their lives makes workers more productive. It can be stated that healthy employees are 67% more likely to feel engaged at work (Yoong, 2020). Moreover, reducing absenteeism is vital for helping employees suffering from stress. Eventually, it will lead to significant cost savings due to high productivity and increased quality of work. In opposite not paying enough attention to the health and wellness of the workforce frequently result in high job quitting rates (Ipsos Malaysia, 2021). It is especially significant to show workers some support and appreciation during the COVID-19 pandemic, as more employees become vulnerable to stress and health problems from not eating well and overworking. Assisting the workforce to be both psychically and mentally healthy is the due of every organization caring for its workers.
Description of Ways to Address the Issue
The obvious solution to the issue described is establishing well-being programs. Examples of them may include compulsory training, staff seminars, and collaboration with their-party providers offering a range of wellness programs. The benefits of such interventions are numerous and can be listed as the following. High employee morale is ensured by showing appreciation to workers, which leads to them becoming more enthusiastic. Increased productivity can be expected from a workforce that eats healthy and exercises regularly (Yoong, 2020). Improved retention is also one of the advantages of implementing health and well-being programs. Finally, health risk reduction ensured through adopting health behavior enables companies to maintain a consistent community. Some other interventions may be health snacks offered or gym membership compensation. Programs of different types are sufficient ways of addressing the health and well-being issue.
Ethical Implications and Precautions Recommended
Some concerns that may arise while establishing health and well-being programs should be detailed. Thus, it can be recommended not to make complex training obligatory because it may result in strong unacceptability of the lifestyle attempted to be promoted (Yoong, 2020). It is vital to receive feedback from workers and update programs accordingly constantly. The main point is to benefit workers and not to make them even more stressed because of unnecessary interventions.
The other crucial concern is not to increase racial or age discrimination, especially in such a diverse workforce as Malaysian. This implication is associated with the strong tendency of most programs to be either female-related or, for instance, focused on completely healthy 25-35 years old males because of the activities involved (Yoong, 2020). An employee should ensure that all the programs offered are equally accessible or all the major groups have access to interventions explicitly intended for them.
Conclusion
Malaysia experiences several problems associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in the meanwhile. One of the significant issues related to human resource management is the health and well-being of the workforce. Statistics show that Malaysian workers are especially vulnerable to work-associated risk factors compared to global data. It is possible to recommend companies consider establishing some well-being programs on their own or applying for third-party services. However, it is vital to ensure that all the workers, regardless of their age, gender, or physical form, have equal access to the interventions proposed.
References
Ipsos Malaysia. (2021). Pandemic’s Impact on Malaysian Workforce [PDF document]. Web.
Yoong, M. (2020). Gender Inequalities in the Malaysian Workplace. Professional Discourses, Gender and Identity in Women’s Media (pp. 1-26). Palgrave Pivot, Cham.
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