Kesejahteraan Sosial

20 KOMPENDIUM REKOMENDASI POLISI KESEJAHTERAAN PSIKOLOGI PERKHIDMATAN AWAM KESEJAHTERAAN SOSIAL By adopting such refinements, Malaysia would demonstrate a stronger commitment to maternal and child health, gender equality and inclusive family policies, while improving employee well-being and retention in the public sector. 5.2 Flexible Working Arrangements The staggered working hours policy outlined in Malaysian Public Service Circular 1/2024, which replaces the provisions of the Employment Act 1955 (Act No. 265, Amendment 2023, Sections 60P and 60Q) and Public Service Circular 5/2019, aims to introduce greater flexibility to help employees balance work and family commitments. Its effectiveness as a family-friendly workplace measure remains limited, particularly when compared to the diverse caregiving needs of employees. The policy allows employees to choose from predefined working hour bands, but this rigid structure often fails to accommodate the dynamic and unpredictable nature of family life, particularly for those caring for young children, elderly relatives, or family members with special needs. This limited flexibility leads to ongoing conflicts between work and family for certain groups of employees. A study by Chung and Van der Lippe (2020) show that employer-determined flexibility such as fixed, staggered working hours often does not provide the adaptability needed to respond to the changing demands of caring. Furthermore, access to staggered working hours is not evenly distributed across roles. Employees in operational, frontline or customer-facing positions, or those subject to strict deadlines, may not be able to benefit from such arrangements. Similarly, policies may not fully address the needs of employees with caregiving responsibilities during non-standard working hours (e.g. evenings or weekends), thereby excluding a significant proportion of the workforce from meaningful flexibility. These restrictions diminish the potential of staggered working hours as an effective tool for integrating work and family life. As Kossek et al (2011) argue, flexible working arrangements are most effective when combined with complementary policies, such as on-site childcare and remote work options. Without such support, staggered work hours alone provide only minimal relief and may even lead to unintended negative consequences. In some cases, the blurred boundaries between work