The Star, 22 August 2008

By IZATUN SHARI

KUALA LUMPUR: Women should be allowed to work flexible hours because it will encourage more women to join the workforce while helping them to balance work and family.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said a review of the Employment Act 1955 was timely and necessary to allow the “flexi-hour” approach.

“I support the principle to help us increase the participation of women in the workforce because it is relatively low now at 46% compared to more than 70% in the developed nations,” he told reporters after launching the Women’s Summit 2008 at Sime Darby Convention Centre here yesterday.

Najib was responding to a proposal by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen to review the Act, which did not address flexible working hours or teleworking. The matter would be raised with the Human Resources Ministry before it was brought to the cabinet, he said.

Making a difference: Najib looking on as Ng gives Association of Women with Disabilities president Bathmavathi Krishnan a helping hand at the summit yesterday

Dr Ng said under the mid-term review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the Government had set a target of 50% of female labour force participation rate by 2010.  She said last year, there were only 3.8 million women working as compared to 6.8 million men in the labour force.

She also called on Najib to look into increasing women’s representation in the board of directors in government-linked companies (GLCs) to achieve the target of at least 30% women in decision-making levels. Last year, women made up just 14%.

Themed “Teaming Up to Make a Difference”, at least 1,000 professional women and men participated in this year’s women’s summit, which is held in conjunction with National Women’s Day on Monday.

New Straits Times, August 23 2008
By CHAI MEI LING

A multitude of issues concerning women were raised in this year’s Women’s Summit, but ways to achieve work-life balance remained the topic of focus. CHAI MEI LING comes away feeling like the summit was a new year do served with last year’s dishes

FLEXI hours. Job sharing. Working from home. Small office, home office.

We’ve heard all those - last year.

This year, the same needs and suggestions cropped up in, if not formed the bulk of, the Women’s Summit discussion yet again.

Malaysia still needs to cash in on women capital, create opportunities for more women to work, provide childcare options, brace itself for talent shortage, and of course, review its Employment Act 1955 to cater to work-life issues.

In many areas, things haven’t changed much.

As the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development points out in her opening speech to the 1,200-strong summit attendees three days ago, the country is still playing catch-up.

Less than half of the nation’s women in productive ages are at work, whereas developed countries have more than 70 per cent.

It’s a low figure for us, admits Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen.

Initiatives to get women into the highest decision-making level also fall short of the 30 per cent target.

So far, the public sector has 14 per cent and private only five per cent, of women in the boardroom.

Themed Teaming Up to Make a Difference, the summit’s core message was that men and women must work together to bring about changes that will create a safe, conducive and satisfactory workplace.

A place that enables all, especially women, to have choices at work, that develops their talents and allows them to play their role in motherhood, says Ng.

To the Ministry’s credit, things have been in motion, albeit at a not-so-fast-and-furious pace.

Five ministries and six agencies met on how to move forward in the trend of flexibility at work.

Six banks have expressed interest to put in place teleworking service for their employees, but need a proper framework first.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam has also promised to look into the legal entity of working from home in the Employment Act.

Implementation-wise, childcare is one groundbreaking area.

After years of encouraging the setting up of workplace nurseries to no avail, Ng’s Ministry will now, with a RM10 mil grant, train women entrepreneurs to start up home-based childcare.

“We dream of the day when Malaysia has quality childcare homes. Mothers and fathers can drop their children off at a home near the workplace and work with great peace of mind.”

With this, dependency on foreign domestic help should also start to decline, says Ng.

Local ‘home managers’ are to be trained to take over this service-providing role in another of the ministry’s innovative plan, which hopefully will start by year-end.

Great ideas abound, but the one which drew the most rapturous response from the floor, is to have the Works Ministry sensitised in drawing up toilet designs for women.

“It’s not about toilets. It’s about giving enough space to women because we all know, and it’s statistically proven, that it takes a longer time for women to come out of toilet,” says Ng to cheers and claps.

Ng’s suggestion in having nappy changing areas in neutral ground, and not just in female toilets, also chalked up favourable response from the crowd.

Novelty does work.

Ng has already made her call. It’s up to the others, really.

“The Women Affairs Ministry cannot be the only ministry to champion the causes of women. It must be all ministries to champion women’s causes.”

Will we continue to hear smashing ideas? Find out in the next Women’s Summit.

News Straits Times, 22 August 2008
By: Nisha Sabanayagam

PETALING JAYA: Women may soon be able to put in flexible hours instead of the nine-to-five workday.

Less rigid job arrangements would encourage more women into the workforce, thus boosting national productivity and economic growth, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

“Flexi-hours is an approach that women want and we need to take into account their needs and aspirations. We want more women in the workforce,” he said at the launch of the sixth Women’s Summit organised by the Women, Family and Community Ministry here yesterday.

Najib said that he would support the call by Women, Family and Community Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen at the summit that the Employment Act 1955 be reviewed to include flexible work hours for the female labour force.

He said that a review of the act would be timely since the concept of the workplace now was different from what it was in 1955.
“We should understand the needs of women. Women look for a balance of work and life, between being a worker and a mother and wife.

“We should allow women to work flexi-hours,” he said.

Najib said the notion of the nine-to-five routine was an old one, adding that the workplace should not only include the concept of flexi-hours but also “teleworking”, where a person can work from home.

“In today’s terms, it’s not the number of hours that you spend in the workplace but how productive you are,” he said.

It was not just about reviewing the Employment Act but also the innovation of new measures by employers to encourage women to work and stay on as workers.

He said women should be allowed career breaks as well, where they could stop working for a period of time to focus on family issues.

He said the few companies that have introduced the concept of flexi-time and career breaks are reporting improved productivity, greater job satisfaction and better retention rates.

Najib said that bringing more women into the workplace was “not a choice but a necessity” for both economic development and global competition.

Malaysia also has “a long way to go” since the female labour force participation rate was only 46 per cent compared with developed countries where the figures were more than 70 per cent, he said.

Najib lauded women as “very, very productive workers”.

“Most women I have come across have not disappointed me. They are very diligent, hardworking and focused.”

Najib also said women were successful entrepreneurs, quoting statistics that 40 to 45 per cent out of 73 million active entreprenuers across 34 nations were women and that 18 to 30 per cent of self-employed workers in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand were women.

“In Malaysia, some 60,000 women-owned businesses are registered each year according to the Companies Commission of Malaysia.”

He also encouraged men to support gender equality in the workforce.

He said women were generally not seeking to take control over men.

“They are only seeking to take control over their own lives.”

News Straits Times, 23 August 2008
By: Nisha Sabanayagam and Evangeline Majawat

KUALA LUMPUR: Women groups yesterday welcomed Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s support for flexible hours for female workers.

The non-governmental organisations said flexi-hours would benefit the country in terms of productivity and would also reduce the dependence on foreign maids.

National Council of Women’s Organisation Malaysia deputy president Faridah Khalid said the flexi-hours concept was not new and many women’s groups had been advocating it for some time.

“This is a welcome move by the deputy prime minister,” she said.

At the sixth Women’s Summit on Thursday, Najib had said that he would support the call by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen for a review of the Employment Act 1955 to include flexible hours for the female labour force.
He had said that it was what women wanted and would help get more women in the workforce.

Faridah said allowing women to work flexible hours would enable them to focus on their families.

“Women need to play the role of mother first. They can’t sacrifice that.”

Flexi-hours would also reduce stress and may reduce the dependency on foreign maids as mothers get to spend more time with their children, she said.

All Women’s Action Action Movement president Lim Siu Ching said that the organisation was very much for flexi-hours for women and hoped that this was the start of more benefits for female workers.

Lim agreed that having flexible hours would encourage more women to join the workforce.

“It will definitely lead to better productivity among the women workers as they will be happier.”

Lim said the issue now was how soon the concept could be implemented.

News Straits Times, 23 August 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: Flexible hours have been practised by multinational companies for decades.

The good news is that more local companies have adopted the concept by replacing the traditional nine-to-five working hours with a more flexible, employee-oriented and result-driven work culture. This new work culture is less about the hours an employee puts in at the office, but more about the person’s productivity.

IBM Malaysia’s human resource director Kenneth Ho said the work culture had shifted from the concept of “work/life balance” to “work/ life integration”.

Since the concept was introduced 20 years ago, more than one-third of IBM’s employees work out of the office.

“Flexibility matters to the company just as much as to the individuals. We conducted a survey which confirmed that as employees’ flexibility increased, their difficulty in balancing work and personal life decreased.”
Ho claims the company’s flexibity was one of the key reasons many of its workers had chosen to remain with IBM.

One of them is IBM workforce and communications manager (Asia Pacific internal & executive communications) Michelle Florence Wee, who said it was important for her to continue working after having children as it was about maintaining her independence and self-esteem.

” I’m fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time with my children. My husband is thrilled too.”

Inspired by Silicon Valley, local blog advertising company Nuffnang Sdn Bhd allowed its staff to come into the office whenever they could as long as they delivered their work on time.

Nuffnang co-founder Timothy Tiah said depending on the job scope, the employees were allowed independence with their work routines.

“They can even sleep in the office. We have a corner of beanbags, pillows and blankets,” said Tiah.

At the end of the day, each worker would e-mail a daily report of what they have done.

“This is our check and balance mechanism to ensure productivity,” he said.

One of the workers, Firdauz Haris, usually walked into the office at noon and worked past midnight.

Despite the long hours at work, the 28-year-old designer said he did not feel stressed because the flexi hours allowed him to sleep in the next day.

He said his creativity “flowed” better in the night, so the whole concept worked well for him.

Panel 1 Speakers

Leslie Bennetts is an acclaimed journalist, a contributing editor for Vanity Fair magazine and author of a controversial new book, “The Feminine Mistake: Are We Giving up too Much?” In it, Leslie highlights the many pitfalls that potentially face women that sacrifice employment and career to become full-time mothers. This has sparked a heated by timely discussion on the consequences of choices women make in order to balance home and work.

In the first panel, Leslie put forward her views that women give up too much when they opt out of work. She was referring to the current back-to-home trend being observed in the United States among women at all socio-economic levels. This is also a phenomenon being seen in many other countries.

She found that women tend to feel overwhelmed by the conflict between work and the needs of a young family. In addition, there are the powerful myths of motherhood that make it appealing to give up work to be stay-at-home mothers. Women tend to unquestioningly view their decision not to work, as a lifestyle choice. Yet with extended life expectancy, opting out of work for the sake of taking care of children will have unfortunate consequences for them in later years.

Women fail to acknowledge many of the risks of giving up financial independence. Women are vulnerable to poverty in the event of the loss of the sole breadwinner, either through divorce or death. The loss of income impacts their immediate and long term well-being. In addition, women who have opted out and want to opt in again encounter various barriers such as ageism, sexism, and bias against women who take time out.

Few women can opt back in without loss of income. This has been estimated as a 40 percent loss of earning power. Citing findings from 50 years of research comparing children of stay-at-home mothers with those of working mothers, Leslie pointed out that there is no evidence that children with stay-at-home mothers ‘turn out better’ than the children of mothers that work. In fact, the findings suggest that having a life outside the home is good for working mothers. These women are found to be happier and healthier, they feel in control of their own lives, and they have financial security and social networks. The ability to pursue their ambitions or passions often translates into an increased standard of living and the ability to offer their children better educational opportunities.

Stay-at-home mothers are relatively happy when their children are young. However, they face anxiety and social and economic disenfranchisement when their children grow up and become more independent. They also discover that doors are closed to them as they attempt to rejoin the workplace. From her own experience, she has found that work and love are two essential components of a healthy adult life. She encouraged women to take the long view and plan for the period in their lives beyond the first 15 years of their children’s lives where they will have more time for their own aspirations. Society has changed and in this day and age, it is a reasonable expectation that men and women equally share both breadwinning and child-rearing responsibilities.

LESLIE BENNETTS .. .On taking a long view
” Older women find it important to tell younger women about the need to have a long view. You may not be able to have it all at the same time. One of the women I interviewed spoke of sequential living. You may have to compromise or make trade offs when your children are young, but it becomes possible to focus on work and other interests when children are older and more independent”.

NST, August 3 2007

By Nurris Ishak and Godhuli Chatterjee

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil with women and children after opening The Women’s Summit.

KUALA LUMPUR: Women should have the choice of opting out of the workforce to raise their families and rejoining when their children are older, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said.

“There should be a greater level of flexibility in the workplace to encourage women to return after their children have become more independent. This would allow women to safeguard their family interests and not be cut off from the workforce at the same time,” the deputy prime minister said.

“The Public Service Department should conduct a study to see whether this can be done, then it will be discussed in the cabinet.”

The suggestion, delivered during his keynote address at the Women’s Summit 2007 here yesterday, received thunderous applause from the audience.

“The private sector, in particular, should take note of the suggestion as it is becoming a global trend. Women in the private sector are not getting a fair deal and companies that do not take heed of their female employees’ needs will lose out in terms of their workforce, and eventually their profits.

“In terms of economic productivity, women have contributed almost RM55 billion to the country’s gross domestic product. Work-life balance must be a business issue. Companies with family-friendly policies will benefit in the long run in terms of productivity and profit.”

Najib said the government acknowledged and valued the role of women in development. Economic growth increases when women are given more opportunities in education and employment.

“Men and women must be equal partners in the economic development of the nation. Restricting women’s access to education and health is detrimental to human capital development and labour force participation.”

Najib quoted a 2007 survey by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, which indicated the high economic and social costs of gender discrimination.

“The Asia-Pacific region, for instance, is losing US$42 billion (RM145 billion) to US$47 billion a year because of restrictions on women’s access to employment opportunities. The gender gap in education, on the other hand, is costing between US$16 billion to US$30 billion per year,” said Najib. He said Malaysian women had benefited from greater access to education and training.

“In 1959, there were only 77 female undergraduates in the University of Malaya. Today, female students outnumber males by a ratio of 61:39. Women’s participation in the labour force has also increased from 30.8 per cent to around 46 per cent between 2000 and 2006.

“Women should always be aware of the rapidly changing economy. They need to upgrade their skills and have the right attitude and work ethic. In the process of globalisation, if they have the appropriate skills as demanded by the economy, they will never be out of work.”

Najib’s suggestion received positive reactions from women’s groups. Norhayati Kaprawi from Sisters In Islam said the option should be open to both parents.

Ivy Josiah, executive director of the Women’s Aid Organisation, said such options for working parents had long been practised in Europe and Australia.

The fifth annual Women’s Summit theme this year is “Putting Women at the Heart of Development”.