Kesejahteraan Sosial

01 FAMILY SUPPORT EMPOWERMENT AND WORKPLACE WELL-BEING 15 4.3.4 Create 4.3.4.1 Create a Malaysian Psychology Act Despite remarkable progress in Malaysia’s work-family policies, many working parents continue to suffer from unmet psychological and emotional needs in the workplace. Key supports such as maternity and paternity leave, flexible working arrangements and access to childcare remain inconsistent, inaccessible or of insufficient duration. Women are disproportionately affected by these gaps in policy, as they often bear the primary burden of caregiving without systematic support. The resulting burden contributes to increased stress and burnout and emphasises the lack of a legal framework that explicitly integrates mental health into workplace well-being. The introduction of a Malaysian Psychology Act is both timely and necessary. Such a law should encompass industrial and organisational psychology, formally recognise work-related psychological injuries including burnout and chronic stress, and establish professional standards for psychologists working in organisations. The Act would not only serve as a legal instrument but would also bring about a fundamental shift in the way psychological well-being is understood and protected in the workplace. It would enable regulators to enforce mental health standards, ensure culturally appropriate and gender-sensitive practices, and address the realities of different Malaysian families. By embedding psychological safety into the broader architecture of labour and family policy, the Act would help ensure that no employee is left unprotected and no family is forced to choose between economic stability and emotional well-being. The application of the Eliminate-Reduce-Raise-Create (ERRC) framework provides policy makers with a strategic tool to break down rigid policy structures, such as lifetime limits on maternity leave and entrenched gender norms in childcare. At the same time, it offers a way to address inequalities in access to family-friendly policies and reduce over-reliance on external childcare providers. By raising standards for maternity and paternity leave and promoting evidence-based, responsive and adaptive policy making, families can be better supported with the flexibility and resources necessary for their well-being.