Kesejahteraan Sosial

01 FAMILY SUPPORT EMPOWERMENT AND WORKPLACE WELL-BEING 25 caregivers facing a double burden and mothers returning to work before full recovery. The Malaysian Psychology Act should not only protect employees but also regulate the profession of industrial and organisational (I/O) psychology. Currently, the field is fragmented, with inconsistent qualification standards, unregulated practice and limited ethical oversight. The Act should create a statutory body responsible for accrediting I/O psychologists, enforcing ethical standards and ensuring the quality and integrity of workplace interventions. This would enable the development of national guidelines for psychosocial risk assessment, psychological first aid and employee mental health screening, and promote a culture of evidence-based and ethically sound workplace psychology practices. At the institutional level, a Malaysian Psychology Act would create the legal infrastructure to integrate psychological principles into the mandatesof regulatoryagenciessuchas theDepartment ofOccupational Safety and Health (DOSH) and the Public Service Department (JPA). This would enable these agencies to apply psychology-based indicators when assessing workplace well-being and organisational health. Additionally, Malaysia’s diverse socio-cultural context requires a mental health framework that is both gender and culturally sensitive. Traditional gender norms, multi-generational family responsibilities and different religious perspectives influence the way work-family conflict and the burden of caring responsibilities are experienced. The proposed Act should therefore include gender-specific protections, such as protection against pregnancy-related discrimination, support for mental health recovery after childbirth and the promotion of shared parental responsibility through equitable leave entitlements. It should also allow for culturally appropriate psychological interventions that address the realities of life in Malaysia’s multi-ethnic and multi-faith communities. The Malaysian Psychology Act would serve as a legal and institutional bridge by transforming fragmented policies into enforceable protections, aligning administrative tools with psychological science, and ensuring that employee well-being is treated as a legal right rather than a discretionary benefit. This would be a crucial step towards a resilient, inclusive and psychologically safe workforce.