A “safe house” for staff, temperature testing and absolutely no overtime - it’s a new world of work in Malaysia amid COVID-19, says Pat Yeoh.
The UNE alumna, who owns HR consulting and outsourcing company PM Resources, says she heard about a new virus in the news in late 2019, “but did not really think too much of it”.
Like many, she became more aware of its seriousness as it spread from country to country.
Now, she and her colleagues in Kuala Lumpur are subject to the movement control order issued by the Malaysian government on March 18, which means personal and working lives have dramatically changed.
Continuity and contingency
“The virus became an issue in Malaysia after one of our government officials was tested positive, and he was in contact with a number of our cabinet ministers as we were also going through a government upheaval due to power struggle amongst the political parties,” Pat says.
“It became worse when a religious group had a mass gathering involving more than 18,000 people at a mosque - among the people in the gathering there were some with the virus.
“This not only spread amongst Malaysians but also to Singapore and Brunei.
“The numbers tested positive with COVID-19 surged, which warranted the Malaysian government to restrict our movement.”
Pat implemented her business continuity plan, which includes staff in training and HR consulting working from home, but it has meant some big changes for her payroll team.
The 'safe house'
“As payroll data are protected by the Personal Data Protection Act and the non-disclosure agreements we signed with our clients, my payroll team are not allowed to work from home,” she says.
Luckily, they all live close to each other, so Pat set up a “safe house”, with secure remote server access, within 10km of their homes - the maximum radius of travel the government allows.
“Those working at the ‘safe house’ are required to have their temperature tested before they enter,” Pat says.
“It is mandatory to have masks on when they are travelling from home to the safe house.
“As soon as they enter the ‘safe house’ they are required to take off their shoes and wash their hands before starting work.”
The team starts at 9am - and there is no staying back to finish that one last task.
“The Malaysian government also has a curfew in place … we are not allowed to stay late at the ‘safe house’ and everyone is scrambling to leave sharp at 6pm,” Pat says.
The Malaysian government’s movement control order has been extended twice to April 28.
Pat Yeoh's tips for a work-life balance from home:
- Draw a firm line between work and home and have a separate work space
- At the end of the day, leave the work space completely, switch off and ‘go home’
- Put on some decent clothes to start work - psychologically, it will make you feel less tired and lethargic
- If work is not keeping you busy enough, there are plenty of free live sessions and webinars to sign up for
- Make time to exercise, set an alarm for frequent breaks, eat well, hydrate and assign timeslots to tasks
- Always use video calls - they create an emotional connection between people you work with, people you hang out with and people you love
- Make sure your work space has natural light, comfortable furniture and a strong WiFi
