Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Employee Well-Being: Perspectives from a Developing Economy 9819904315, 9789819904310

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Raida Abu Bakar · Rosmawani Che Hashim · Man Chung Low · Mohammad Rezaur Razzak · Sharmila Jayasingam

Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Employee Well-Being Perspectives from a Developing Economy

Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Employee Well-Being

Raida Abu Bakar · Rosmawani Che Hashim · Man Chung Low · Mohammad Rezaur Razzak · Sharmila Jayasingam

Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Employee Well-Being Perspectives from a Developing Economy

Raida Abu Bakar Department of Management Universiti Malaya Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Rosmawani Che Hashim Department of Management Universiti Malaya Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Man Chung Low Department of Management Universiti Malaya Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Mohammad Rezaur Razzak Department of Management College of Economics and Political Science Sultan Qaboos University Muscat, Oman

Sharmila Jayasingam Department of Management Universiti Malaya Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This work was supported by Faculty of Business and Economics, Universiti Malaya Special Publication Fund. ISBN 978-981-99-0431-0 ISBN 978-981-99-0432-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0432-7 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore

Dedicated to all the fighters who fought through thick and thin during the unsettling COVID-19 pandemic.

Preface

This book aims to enhance the understanding of human experiences at work during the pandemic, and its implications on employees’ well-being. The book contributes to the body of knowledge on employees’ well-being from various perspectives, with a focus on Malaysia, a developing country, as a context. Those reading this book can grasp how the country went through different challenges of the pandemic, from the view of the institutions to the micro perspectives of the individuals at work in the home domain. Notably, some have argued that the pandemic is spearheading a new way of work. Nonetheless, while the future is not exactly clear, a deeper insight into people’s experiences throughout the pandemic is important for making sure that the work environment is more positive. With all things considered, the goals noted in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) are also addressed in this book, specifically, Goal 3—Good Health and Well-being, and Goal 8—Decent Work and Economic Growth. SDGs are indispensable for the country and the world’s development. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Malaysia multi-dimensionally. As a developing country, Malaysia needs to pay close attention to its stakeholders, i.e., the labor force if it aims to become a successful nation. It also needs to take good care of the people. This book comprises seven (7) Chapters with each Chapter providing a multi-dimensional view on how people in Malaysia experienced the pandemic. Each Chapter takes the reader into different paradigms, with the ultimate goal of making readers understand how the people coped with their well-being during the pandemic. Chapter 1 (current chapter) introduces the unfortunate event of the COVID-19 pandemic at the global and local level. It lays out the flow of the entire book. Chapter 2 takes the reader into the inward exploration of personal well-being. Looking inward is beneficial for one’s personal growth as one gains a fuller understanding of themselves. It is also crucial for us to gain a greater well-being by understanding the experiences of others. Chapter 3 discusses the laws and rights of the individual in Malaysia in relevance to the context of COVID-19. It is useful for all occupants in Malaysia to know our boundaries, and to manage our expectations. This is also important for future references in terms of what the country lacks and needs to improve.

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Chapters 4 and 5 delve into the work arena. The former offers some illumination on how people deal with work in their work domain and at home. The experiences of the women folks are especially highlighted, given their vulnerable positions at the workplace. The latter, Chap. 5, zooms into a specific work context, i.e., nonfamily employees in family-owned businesses. The narratives of these employees are very important for the labor force of this country as Malaysia moves toward a more inclusive society. Chapter 6 sheds light on the different viewpoints of the social challenges experienced by various groups of people during the pandemic. This includes the boon and bane of the pandemic. Chapter 7 sums up the input by articulating the takeaways gained from the pandemic followed by the faith and perseverance required by the people in moving forward. This book conveys the message that during hardships such as a pandemic, we are not alone. The same struggles we undergo are also being experienced by many people throughout the world. This book also highlights that the help is almost always available when the burden becomes too heavy to bear. Because of this, it is therefore, important to reach out. By sharing the experiences of others during the pandemic, this book hopes to encourage people to stay strong and determined when facing challenges, particularly in future times. At the same time, we must also understand the fundamental laws and rights of the individual living in Malaysia, in order to protect ourselves, and to ensure that our actions are lawful. Moreover, by understanding the different challenges faced by the people, we can then better realize what we may lack. It is only through such realizations that we would know what we can improve, institutionally, and as citizens of the country. After all, it is important that we learn through past experiences by accumulating the knowledge gained from others. In this way, we not only learn to improve ourselves but also our society. This is key for Malaysia to move toward being a unified and thriving country. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Muscat, Oman Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Raida Abu Bakar Rosmawani Che Hashim Man Chung Low Mohammad Rezaur Razzak Sharmila Jayasingam

Contents

1 Pandemic Around the World: The New Norm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 Introduction: The Era of the Pandemic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 Global Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 Perspectives of Malaysia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1 1 2 6 10 10

2 I’m So Lost: The Dissonance and Conflict in Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 The Horrifying Pandemic: A New Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 Feelings and Emotional Dissonance: Why Do I Feel This Way? . . . 2.4 Thinking and Cognitive Dissonance: Why Do I Behave This Way? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 Individual Challenges in Malaysia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 My Wellbeing, My Choice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

13 13 14 15

3 Don’t Struggle in Silence: Let the Laws Do Their Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2 Pandemic—Mental Health Disaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 Mental Health Priority: Let’s Do This Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 Mental Health—Let the Law Play Its Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 The Malaysian Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5.1 Awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5.2 Mental Health Regulations: How Far Has Malaysia Gone? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5.3 Concluding Remark—Wakeup Call for Malaysia . . . . . . . . . 3.6 The United Kingdom’s Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6.1 Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6.2 The Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996) . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6.3 The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 . . . . . .

29 29 30 31 32 32 32

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3.6.4 Equality Act 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6.5 Mental Health Act 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6.6 The Coronavirus Act 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6.7 Independent Mental Health Advocates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6.8 Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.7 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Will It Ever Go Back to Normal? Working Since the Pandemic: The Changes, Struggles, Supports, and Hopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 World of Work Since the Pandemic: Case of Malaysia . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 Working from Home: The Positives, the Negatives, and the Struggles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 The Pandemic Does not Affect People Equally: Perspectives of the Women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 Government, Organizations and Workers: Strategies in Place and How We Can Do More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5.1 Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5.2 Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5.3 Workers (Individuals) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 Endemic: Working and Living with the Virus, and Things that Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.7 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Wellbeing of Employees in Family Owned Businesses in the COVID-19 Era: Anecdotal Evidence from Malaysia . . . . . . . . . 5.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 Family Businesses Have a Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3 Ensuring Employee Safety at All Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 Sharing the Pain of Financial Strains with Non-Family Employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5 We Are All in It Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.6 When the Going Gets Tough, Family Firms Are the Safest Places to Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The Cloud Over My Social Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 The Apocalypse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 COVID-19: The Rise of the Pandemic of Social Isolation . . . . . . . . 6.4 Socialising During the Pre and Post Pandemic: The Malaysian Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.4.1 Pre-COVID Socialising: Malaysian Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

42 44 45 45 46 46 47 51 51 52 54 59 61 61 62 64 66 67 67 71 71 73 74 76 77 80 81 83 85 85 86 87 89 89

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6.4.2 Post-COVID—The Advent of Social Isolation in Malaysia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 6.5 A Boon: A Silver Lining in the Dark Cloud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 6.5.1 Personality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 6.5.2 Motivational Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 6.5.3 Behavioural Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 6.6 A Bane: The Fear of Being Left Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 6.7 Post-COVID: The Re-Entry Anxiety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 6.8 The Rise of the Social Butterfly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 6.9 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 7 The Perseverance Over Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2 The Individual: What Do I Do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3 The Organisation: What Can Leaders and Peers Do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.4 The Government: What Can It Provide and Change? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5 The Society: What Shall We Contribute? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.6 Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

105 105 106 108 109 110 111 112

About the Authors

Raida Abu Bakar is an Associate Professor at the Department of Management, Universiti Malaya. Her area of research interest is organizational behavior/psychology with a specific focus on work engagement, work-home conflict, and employee well-being/happiness. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Management from Purdue University, USA, an M.B.A. from Universiti Malaya, Malaysia, and Ph.D. from RMIT University, Australia. Her research has been published in International Journal of Human Resource Management, Journal of Business Strategy and Development, International Journal of Training and Development, among others. She has 20 years of experience in consultancy and research projects. She was a consultant to numerous projects i.e., Ministry of Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development, Master Builder Association of Malaysia, ANGKASA, Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan, and many others. Rosmawani Che Hashim is a senior lecturer at the University of Malaya (UM) with 27 years of teaching experience. Her areas of expertise are Commercial Law, International Trade Law and Banking Law. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) degree in 1992 and Bachelor of Shariah Law (Hons) degree in 1993 from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Following her Bachelor degree, she obtained her Master in International Commercial Law from the University of Nottingham, the United Kingdom in 1995. She holds her Ph.D. in Islamic Banking and Finance Law at International Islamic Banking and Finance Institute, (IIiBF) IIUM. She began her carrier as a lecturer at Universiti Utara Malaysia in 1995 before transferring to UM in 2005. Currently, she is teaching Commercial Law and Legal Aspects of Banking Law at the Faculty of Business and Economics, (FBE). Apart from her considerable teaching experience and administration posts, she is active in literary pursuits. She published articles in her related field in various social science journals, books as well as proceedings international conferences. Her research area covers legal issues in commercial and banking laws and mental health and well-being at a workplace. Man Chung Low is currently a Ph.D. Candidate from the Faculty of Business and Economics in University of Malaya, Malaysia. He specializes in management. xiii

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About the Authors

His PhD thesis focuses on understanding work intensity and its role in employees’ work and non-work domains. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Computer and Electronic Engineering from the University Malaysia Sabah in 2017, followed by master’s degree in International Business from Monash University, 2019. Prior to joining University of Malaya, he had experiences in technology-related business analyses. His research interests revolve around improving the well-being of various stakeholders in the workplaces, within and across contexts. Dr. Mohammad Rezaur Razzak is an Assistant Professor of Strategic Management, Entrepreneurship and Family Business at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1984, followed by an M.B.A. from the Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA, in 1985. He was conferred with a Ph.D. with distinction from the University of Malaya in January 2020, specializing in family business studies. Dr. Razzak has over 20 years experience in various industrial and corporate positions in USA and in Bangladesh. Furthermore, he has been working as an academic for the last 15 years. He served as the Head of the Business School at BRAC University in Bangladesh, and an as a part-time lecturer at University of Malaya, during the period when he was pursuing his doctoral degree. His research interests are primarily in family business studies, digital entrepreneurship, migrant entrepreneurship, and influence of emerging technology on the personal and work domains of individuals. His current focus is on understanding how organizations building resilience to possible new shocks that may disrupt business operations in the future due to potential new sources of global shocks such as pandemics, impact of climate change, etc. Sharmila Jayasingam received her M.B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Science Malaysia in the field of Management. She is currently an associate professor in leadership and organizational behavior at the Faculty of Business and Economics, Universiti Malaya. Prior to joining Universiti Malaya, she was teaching courses such as management, leadership, and knowledge management at the Universiti Tenaga Nasional and Multimedia University. Her research is interdisciplinary and addresses knowledge management issues, leadership, and organizational behavior. Her current interest includes the influence of social media on leadership effectiveness, happiness, and well-being at the workplace. She has written several journal articles which have been published in Journal of Knowledge Management, Current Psychology, Knowledge Management Research and Practice, Industrial Management and Data Systems, International Journal of Human Resources Management, Management Research, Studies in Higher Education and many other outlets. She has several years of experience in consultancy projects with agencies such as Asian Institute of Finance (AIF) on a project on Talent Management, Permodalan Nasional Berhad, FELDA, HC Consultancy and so forth. She strongly believes that theories from academic research needs to be translated to practical solutions for the workplace.

Chapter 1

Pandemic Around the World: The New Norm

Abstract Towards the end of year 2019, trace of the COVID-19 disease has been detected. Unknowingly, it spread throughout the world and developed into a pandemic. The pandemic infiltrated our lives in every way: How we go about our daily lives, how we work, socialize and spend our leisure time. This chapter first introduces the pandemic experiences on the global level. They include the development of virus transmission, surge of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) demands and daily supplies, and also event of panic buying. Measures taken by authorities to curb the spread of virus as well as vaccination programs are also illuminated. Furthermore, societal and economic impacts such as mass lay-off, The Great Resignation, and lack of social activities are spelt out. On the flip side, the chapter also explains how pandemic has enabled self-reflection, and have made people recalibrate their priorities in life, such as family and psychological well-being. Finally, the specific experiences of Malaysia based on its unique institutional and societal backgrounds, are discussed.

1.1 Introduction: The Era of the Pandemic Towards the end of 2019, the world had no choice but to embrace the arrival of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Named as COVID19, the disease had dramatically impacted the world and people’s lives in every way possible. The first official case of the COVID-19 was detected in Wuhan, China around December 2019. This disease is transmitted through small, liquid, infectious particles by an infected person to another. It can travel through air (airborne transmission), or through direct contact (droplet transmission). Close contact and poor ventilated/closed spaces, for instance, are highly vulnerable (WHO, 2021c). Declared as a pandemic, the disease has been obscured because of the virus’ ability to mutate. As of 7th September 2022, there are more than 600 million confirmed cases throughout the world with a recorded death exceeding 6.4 million (WHO, n.d.). Malaysia thus far, recorded more than 4.7 million confirmed cases with 36,255 recorded deaths.

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 R. Abu Bakar et al., Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Employee Well-being, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0432-7_1

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1 Pandemic Around the World: The New Norm

On an unprecedented scale, the pandemic had changed our lives: how we work, how we utilize our leisure times, how we socialize, and how we go about our daily lives. The pandemic has accelerated digital transformation, reshaping economical, societal, and environmental landscapes, with some irrevocable consequences. It has certainly altered people’s values and mindset, and many have begun to reflect on their career and lifestyle choices. The pandemic has affected people both, positively and negatively. There is much to learn from the pandemic—from the lack of concern toward the virus to the stringent global scale lockdown, and to the co-existing of lives with the virus.

1.2 Global Experience While the COVID-19 pandemic started from Wuhan, Thailand reported its first confirmed case on 13th January 2020, followed by Japan on 15th January 2020, the United States of America (USA) on 21st January 2020; and France on 24th January 2020 (WHO, 2021a) while Malaysia recorded its first confirmed case on 25th January 2020. In the initial phase, most countries held a lax approach in responding to the COVID-19 situation. It was only when the virus spread like wildfire around the world, and when people began to experience serious symptoms, and fatality that the governments took the situation seriously. A few months after the first confirmed case in Wuhan in December 2019, the World Health Organisation (WHO) finally declared COVID-19 a pandemic on 11th March 2020. The outbreak of the pandemic had caused a surge in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) demands, such as the use of N95 masks and other protection shields like gloves, goggles, and gowns. These protective shields helped to block the virus from infecting a new host. On 3rd March 2020, in light of the situation, WHO made a call to governments and industries to increase outputs by 40% so as to meet global PPE needs (WHO, 2021a). Since production time lag to satisfy the demand spike was expected (around 4 to 6 months of backlog in April 2020), the availability of these important equipment would be unmanageable at some point, particularly when the COVID-19 had turned global (see Park et al., 2020). As a result, health workers around the world were left with limited equipment and increasing patients (Burki, 2020). The New York Times in 8th July 2020, for instance, employed the term, “grave shortages” to describe the dire inadequacy of protective gears in the USA (Jacobs, 2020). This shortage had led to a price hike for PPEs including face masks for public use. When countries around the world began to take note of the severity of the COVID19 situation around March 2020, more preventive measures were being imposed on the people so as to curb the spread of the virus. National borders were closed for nonessential activities, and the respective countries developed their respective guidelines on the scope of essential services. National lockdown, or movement restriction order was then implemented as a way to alleviate virus transmission. Except for those who worked in essential services, others were ordered to work from home. Schools were

1.2 Global Experience

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also shut down, and those who were tested positive were treated, and those with high risks, were quarantined. When measures to combat the pandemic were announced, there was panic buying of daily supplies. Despite the reassurance of adequate supplies by authorities, the public began behaving differently—hoarding staple food items, toilet papers, disinfectants, face masks, amid fears of shortages and price hikes for example in the USA toilet papers were sold out (Wieczner, 2020). There was fear of global production and supply chain disruptions since China, as the global supply-chain juggernaut, was the center of the pandemic outbreak (Lufkin, 2020). With panic buying, stocks most needed by homes were depleted, causing the commodities to become scarce, hence price hikes. This condition also caused some essential goods like face masks for health workers to be in short supply. As a precaution, the US government and health workers then urged the public to purchase precautionary face masks rationally (Mettler, 2020). While preventive measures against COVID-19 were enforced, measures to develop vaccines against the virus escalated. Vaccines had been described as the most effective method to alleviate the negative impact which COVID-19 brings to our society. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the world began developing vaccines vigorously, hoping to roll these out as soon as they were scientifically proven to be effective and safe. Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-Astrazeneca, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Sinovac-BioTech were among the manufacturers of COVID19 vaccines (Mikulic, 2022). Although their effectiveness in preventing transmissions varied, they were also proven to be greatly effective in reducing the risk of serious illness, hospitalization, and fatality, upon catching the virus. Pharmaceutical companies have demonstrated great accomplishments in developing vaccines for COVID19. Their vaccines have provided much relief to the global population, but other challenges remained. With these various vaccines available in the market, storage of these different types of vaccines also varied, hence authorities need to follow certain guidance for the respective vaccines. In addition to that, there were also logistic issues when administering vaccines in various vaccination sites. This led to the need to ensure facilitation efficiency of those sites. To ensure a successful public vaccination program, enhancing and maintaining public trust toward the vaccines is as essential as the effectiveness of the vaccine itself (OECD, 2021). This administration requires continuous efforts. Communication effectiveness and public engagement are key for conveying the right message to the public. The capacity and effectiveness of the regulatory bodies in handling issues when they arose also dictated the extent of public trust. Health officials also noted that there were communities who were not recommended to take the vaccines because of their underlying health conditions. Although the vaccination rate was of satisfactory level, the vaccination program faced certain degrees of resistance. Some refused the vaccination while others were hesitant because of different interests. For instance, people with different health conditions expressed concerns about undiscovered side effects related to their conditions. Due to the rapid development of the various vaccines, there were people who questioned the credibility of these

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vaccines. Others claimed that these vaccinations should be based on “choice” rather than “force” (Al-Gharbi, 2022). As there were mutant variations in the virus, some vaccinations were less effective, thereby leading to a circulation of misinformation and deliberate falsifications. Although minority, people around the world—the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, and others were seen protesting against vaccine mandates. With persistent efforts led by the government and other organizations, more and more people became more accepting and willing to take the vaccines. To counter the abundance of false information, the Danish Health Authority (2022) took to publishing a video-guide for the public. It offered guidance on how to detect fake news by verifying the credibility of news sources. Further to this, the government of the United Kingdom then partnered with the University of Cambridge to develop a game called “Go Viral!”. This aimed to expose false news and to educate people on the techniques used to spread fake news (OECD, 2020). As a result, initial fears began to dissipate, and people began learning how to acknowledge the safety and effectiveness of vaccines based on testimony from others who had been vaccinated earlier. Meanwhile, global economy was sluggish due to different levels of restrictive social activities. For instance, global sports events such as the Olympic Games was put on hold. This created negative impacts on the travel and hospitality industry, the operating costs of building maintenance of the venue, merchandise sales, and more. Although it kickstarted as a public health issue; the pandemic had quickly begun to threaten global economy, trade, and finance (Park et al., 2020). To save costs, public workforce was downsized. This was an inevitable step for many companies. Mass lay-off during the pandemic became severe even though strict measures were being taken to counter the pandemic threat. Renowned brands like Disney, Shell, Ralph Lauren, HSBC, American Airlines, and many others made massive layoffs of their employees. The British multinational oil and gas company, Shell, cut up to 9,000 jobs, or roughly 10% of its total workforce in 2020. Besides being part of its intention to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050, lay-offs were executed in a prompt fashion to respond to the oil demand slump during the pandemic (Hurst, 2020). Many people around the world lost their jobs and incomes due to the pandemic-led lay-offs and furloughs. Apart from the disruption of jobs and incomes stemming from organizational decisions, many employees also took their own initiatives to leave their jobs. In 2021, for example, 7.4 million voluntary quits were recorded in the U.S. (Tappe, 2022). Due to its massive scale since the beginning of the pandemic, the term, “The Great Resignation” was thus coined (Ellerbeck, 2022). One may ask, why leave a job at such uncertain times? Would it not be a high risk? However, that was the reality happening in many parts of the world. The pandemic caused people to contemplate their lives, careers, work conditions, and long-term goals (Hsu, 2021). The most cited reason that caused people to do this was pay. Intangible factors related to meaning came a close number two, for example, job fulfilment and the ability to be authentic (e.g., Ellerbeck, 2022). Work-life balance also became a priority. While some had chosen their career paths because of realistic considerations (e.g., stability), they realized that even such considerations had been compromised during a crisis. The pandemic

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had also caused people to rethink their work life balance—working tirelessly may not be worthwhile after all, after seeing how fragile human lives and our society can be when struck by unfavorable events. Another headline that hit the news after the pandemic was about the Great Resignation. “Quiet Quitting”. This phenomenon is still prevalent today as the year 2022 comes to an end. Quiet Quitting refers to the concept of keeping a job but not letting it take over our lives (Klotz & Bolino, 2022). Many working people subscribed to this mindset as they strived to accomplish their primary obligations since they would not opt out of the duties and responsibilities that that they were attached to. However, they would not go beyond anything out of their normal responsibilities. In other words, they would not be opting for more extra hours, attend to e-mails on weekends, or get involved in non-mandatory meetings. These people, once hit by the pandemic and world crisis, realized that life is vulnerable. They thus hold the belief that jobs are not the only focus in their lives. They want to reclaim the rights to engage in other activities outside of work responsibilities, that is, a more “balanced” life. Although the term, “Quiet Quitting” is new, as it was unheard of prior to the pandemic, the mindset is not, and many working people resonate with the mindset since the pandemic had shown that life is vulnerable. This mindset is most prevalent among the Gen-Zers, causing its presence to amplify and earn a new name. Overall, it appears that many people prioritize more of their overall well-being, such as the importance of family time, adequate rest, leisure activities, and hobbies. People have also become more aware about the importance of psychological wellbeing. The experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic have indeed overwhelmed the world with people from different walks of life having to deal with stress and anxieties. Frontline workers, school pupils, families living separately, and people with pre-existing mental health need to access mental services, and more. All of these challenges had emerged throughout the world particularly during the lockdown, impacted by COVID-19 (WHO, 2021b). According to the WHO, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25% in the first year of the pandemic (WHO, 2022). Fortunately, information regarding pandemic-led mental health deterioration quickly circulated around various media outlets. This signaled a positive message that psychological well-being is indeed significant to one’s quality of life. The increased media attention during these times have been encouraging. Governments, international and local organizations (e.g., WHO, OECD, UNICEF, AIA) including community support groups as well as influential individuals also provided numerous forms of support and care for people’s psychological well-being while combating the pandemic. Incidentally, the pandemic has also acted as an agent tightening family bonds for some families, and this helped to improve their well-being. Due to the restricted social activities which had compelled people to stay indoors, more time was spent at home with families. This enriched the family bonding time. Many expressed gratefulness for this possibility because prior to the pandemic, the same people did not have much opportunity to spend such extended time together due to their busy schedules. Out of the unfavorable event of the COVID-19 pandemic, one positive takeaway for many families was that it helped to unite family members.

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1.3 Perspectives of Malaysia Although the COVID-19 pandemic affected the world at the same time, different countries experienced the impact differently. This book will focus on the experiences of Malaysia, as a developing country in Southeast Asia, during the pandemic. It offers a context that is unique to the country’s institutional and societal backgrounds. After the country’s first confirmed case was reported on 25th January 2020, the disease has been closely monitored by the government, particularly the Ministry of Health (MOH). The number of cases were relatively stable, and under control at the very beginning. However, the virus transmission started to propagate, making the condition more serious. To effectively curb the spread of the virus, the government decided to implement strict preventive measures, called the Movement Control Order (MCO). The main agenda was to reduce social contact as much as possible as a measure to stop virus transmission. The first phase of the MCO was implemented on 18th March 2020. National borders were closed. Only essential services were allowed to operate, and their categories were decided by the government and announced by the then Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. They encompass utilities, energy, telecommunications, postal, transportation, irrigation, oil, fuel, lubricants, broadcasting, finance, banking, health, pharmacy, fire, prison, airport, safety, defense, cleaning, retail, and food supply (New Straits Times, 2020). Schools and Higher Education Institutions were closed, and mass gathering was prohibited. However, one person per household was allowed to go outdoors to acquire their daily necessities. In the early stages of the MCO, the status updates of COVID-19 were aired on a daily basis by the health director-general, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Noor Hisham bin Abdullah on National Television as well as the website of the MOH. A comprehensive COVID-19 Management Guidelines in Malaysia can be found on the MOH website (Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia, 2022). Guidelines with regard to workplaces were also included, and it consisted mainly of: 1. Prevention and control measures. 2. Actions to be taken whenever positive or close contact cases arose. Similar to the global stage, the eradication of COVID-19 had not been smooth in Malaysia as the country experienced several waves of case spikes. There were also different phases of the COVID-19 countermeasures which were extended, relaxed, or modified, catering to the situation of the time. Generally, these countermeasures were divided into the following: Movement Control Order (MCO), Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO), Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO), Full Movement Control Order (FMCO), and National Recovery Plan (NRP). Some phases were reinstated, either on a national or regional scale. These measures were amended from time to time to ensure the effective alleviation of the pandemic situation. For instance, areas would be marked as Red, Yellow, or Green Zones to represent the different risk levels, in accordance with the number of cases. More targeted combat measures would then be applied to different zones.

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A mobile application named MySejahtera was also launched in April 2020. The app helped the government and the respective individuals to supervise information surrounding the pandemic. Its main goal was to facilitate the COVID-19 contact tracing of individuals. It helped to mark the different levels of individual risk exposures to COVID-19 whilst also updating the public on various information related to the pandemic. To accomplish this, people were mandated to self-report their location (“check-in”) via QR Code when entering any premises, including public spaces. Moreover, the mobile application also provided an area-sorted infectious diseases tracker which allowed people to know how vulnerable they were towards various infectious diseases. It also helped the public to locate health facilities near them. When people self-tested as positive, they can also report to the mobile application. The MOH will then follow up with their cases. It functions as a one-stop COVID-19 management center, helping the government to centralize information in a more efficient manner. In May 2022, self-reports of location to enter premises via the mobile application was no longer required, following the gradual ease of various preventive measures (Chua & Nair, 2022). Similar to the global situation, medical-related supplies such as PPE and COVID19 test kits were in high demand. Weekly hand sanitizer sales escalated 800% (Lufkin, 2020). The price of face masks increased substantially due to shortages in the beginning of COVID-19. As the world’s leading manufacturer of rubber gloves, contributing to 60% of the global market share, Malaysia also had the top players— Top Glove, Hartalega Holdings, Kossan Rubber Industries, and Supermax working in the country. These were also known as the Big Four (Raghunathan, 2022; Yusof, 2021). As a result of the pandemic, production capacity of gloves, as well as other PPE were ramped up for manufacturers in the country to satisfy soaring global demands. Panic buying became a similar phenomenon in Malaysia when people were seen bulk buying in supermarkets. However, this practice subsided rather quickly. There were episodes where people flocked to acquire face masks and self-test kits when these items were in high demands, but fortunately the demand receded without developing into a larger issue. Panic buying did not prolong in Malaysia probably due to the government’s multiple reassurances and education. Besides that, as mentioned, people were still allowed to go outside to purchase essential goods. Other than that, online shopping of groceries, fresh produce, meal sets, desserts and others also quickly became a lifestyle as various online platforms were set up. These agents provided alternatives for the public to acquire their goods. This situation indicates that people showed great adaptability and resilience during a crisis. Finally, when vaccines became accessible on the market, the Malaysian government, like all governments, procured vaccines from different manufacturers around the world through its National COVID-19 Immunization Program. These were distributed as free to both citizens and resident foreigners. Despite a slow start, Malaysia became a country with one of the fastest vaccination rates in the world— administering 400,000 doses daily at one point, around July 2021 (Bernama, 2021). Facilitation and certification of vaccination were done via the MySejahtera mobile application. When the percentage of the vaccinated population reached a satisfactory

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level, and the level of critical hospitalization stabilized, more restrictions were gradually lifted. Following this, economic activities returned to pre-pandemic status, and schools re-opened in 2022, after almost two long years of pandemic severity fluctuations. National borders were fully reopened from 1st April 2022 (Harris, 2022), and the mask mandate for outdoors was removed, and subsequently, indoors, from 7th September 2022 (Kaos, 2022), as is consistent with global trends. By the end of September 2022, masks were only required for public transportation environments, and medical institutions. At the height of the pandemic, businesses across different industries encompassing large and listed companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, to family businesses had been severely affected. While digital transformation was pivotal in ensuring business continuity, the lack of an adequate infrastructure caused many difficulties to be experienced by these companies. The main challenge was the engagement of online connectivity, and communication with customers and suppliers which was experienced by 83% of large and listed companies, and 84% of small and medium-sized enterprises located in the country (Ernst & Young, 2020). Apart from this, job losses were also significant throughout the pandemic, impacting as many as 100,000 people locally (e.g., Tan et al., 2020). AirAsia, a Malaysian multinational low-cost airline, for instance, retrenched 10% of its 24,000 employees under the wings of AirAsia Bhd and AirAsia X Bhd by October 2020 (Bernama, 2020). Home-grown small businesses which have limited liquidity—including those which had been operating for decades—struggled to sustain their operations due to the pandemic and prolonged government restrictions. Other industries involving hospitality, tourism, entertainment, and aviation came to a standstill while communities with lower educational levels, and self-employed individuals were the worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Meantime, majority of the retained workforce had to work from home, many for the first time in their entire working life. These employees faced uncertainties of work operations surrounding connectivity, tools, and HR policy challenges as well as their future. People began overworking to make up for business disruptions caused by delays, financial shortfalls, technological obstacles, and illnesses (e.g., Ernst & Young, 2020) while at the same time, fearing virus transmission. Challenges faced by the people and country during these difficult times had a negative impact on the well-being of the population and the country. Certain cohorts such as non-family employees working in family-owned businesses can be vulnerable but often, they were overlooked. Being the out-group member within a family-owned business, they could feel insecure as they become unsure of their positions since critical decisions were being made within the business. Additionally, women folks seemed to be more severely impacted during the pandemic. Malaysian women were said to face five (5) times more unemployment when compared to men. They also tend to recover slower (Cheng, 2020) although women had to take a larger share of home duties, on top of their professional responsibilities. Some reports also indicated a rise in domestic violence and suicide among women victims. All these experiences can be traumatizing and detrimental to their well-being. More in-depth discussions will be provided in subsequent chapters.

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Since the introduction of several COVID-19 preventive measures (such as MCO), social gatherings had to be put on hold. Many were living with little social interactions. The public went through stay-at-home directives, quarantine, and social separations, all of which led to disconnection from their social groups. With this imposition, some who enjoyed a more solitary lifestyle were able to draw some comfort since there was no expectation to socialize, as was the pre-pandemic times. Others may find the imposition distressing as they are unable to socialize, thereby deteriorating their personal well-being. This could lead to loneliness, depression and isolation, a phenomenon traditionally linked to elderly people. In other words, the consequence of the counter measures taken to alleviate the infection of the COVID19 virus had affected younger people’s social lives due to a lack of social activities (Clarke, 2021). Such a situation can exacerbate the living conditions of those living alone. The various struggles caused by the pandemic had inevitably created a decline in people’s mental health, escalating their anxieties, and causing them to go through depression. Worsening mental health in a society could propagate, potentially leading to undesirable consequences. For instance, a 62-year-old patient under examination for COVID-19 committed suicide in Serdang Hospital due to depression (Zolkepli, 2020). Nevertheless, concerns about the deterioration of mental health were recognized by MOH, which published guidelines on “Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in COVID-19”, targeting individuals and health care/response workers (Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia, 2022). The guidelines, by and large, offered information regarding how COVID-19 can affect mental health, indications of mental health effects, professional intervention pyramid, mental health support and reporting procedures, and tips for managing mental health. The legal system also has an instrumental role to play in ensuring adequate welfare for all people in the country. Thus, it is important for the legislations to be enforced and updated to fit the current context of the society. For instance, the fundamental employment legislation is covered under the Employment Act 1955. This has been revised from time to time, including the amendment to cover flexible working arrangements which will come into force on 1st January 2023. . While a good legal system and law enforcement guarantees that the people have good welfare, it is also indispensable for maintaining people’s confidence at the global stage, for example, international trades. Evidence showed that in one crisis, Top Glove was accused of “unethically” circumventing labor laws by encouraging forced labor practices. Top Glove was found to be implicated in four out of eleven forced labor indicators by the International Labour Organisation (ILO): working and living conditions, mobility restrictions, isolation, and excessive work hours (Peter, 2021). This resulted in the company being banned by the U.S. Customs on their import products amid the pandemic in July 2020 (Lee, 2020). The ban was eventually lifted in September 2021, when the U.S. customs authorities cleared its reviews on Top Glove after it had addressed all the indicators of forced labor. Taken together, such incidents implied that practicing high integrity is important for the sustainability of businesses and the well-being of their stakeholders.

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1.4 Conclusion The pandemic which came unexpectedly brought the best and worst out of people. We have witnessed how family relationship can be tightened, but also how labour force can be exploited. There is also much to learn after allowing a contagious disease turned into a global pandemic. Crisis preparedness is vital and should be improved— from international organizations to governments to individuals, from allocation of resources to psychological resiliency. Areas where laws and regulations lack were also displayed during the pandemic, in which they should also be reviewed and reinforced.

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Hsu, A. (2021, June 24). As The Pandemic Recedes, Millions of Workers Are Saying “I Quit”. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/06/24/1007914455/as-the-pandemic-recedes-millionsof-workers-are-saying-i-quit Jacobs, A. (2020, July 8). Grave Shortages of Protective Gear Flare Again as COVID Cases Surge. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/08/health/coronavirus-masks-ppe-doc. html Kaos, J. (2022, September 7). Khairy: Use of face masks indoors now optional. The Star. https:// www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/09/07/khairy-wearing-facemasks-indoors-is-optional Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia. (2022). Garis Panduan Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia. https:// covid-19.moh.gov.my/garis-panduan/garis-panduan-kkm Klotz, A. C., & Bolino, M. C. (2022, September 15). When Quiet Quitting Is Worse Than the Real Thing. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2022/09/when-quiet-quitting-is-worse-than-thereal-thing Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2020, July 3). Transparency, communication and trust: The role of public communication in responding to the wave of disinformation about the new coronavirus. https://doi.org/10.1787/bef7ad6e-en Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2021, May 10). Enhancing public trust in COVID-19 vaccination: The role of governments. https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/view/? ref=1094_1094290-a0n03doefx&title=Enhancing-public-trust-in-COVID-19-vaccination-Therole-of-governments Lee, L. (2020, July 16). Amid virus crisis, U.S. bars imports of Malaysia’s Top Glove over labour issues. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-top-glove-usa-idUSKCN24H0K2 Lufkin, B. (2020, March 5). Amid the coronavirus outbreak, people are flocking to supermarkets worldwide—but are they simply preparing, or irrationally panicking? BBC. https://www.bbc. com/worklife/article/20200304-coronavirus-covid-19-update-why-people-are-stockpiling Mettler, K. (2020, March 2). ‘STOP BUYING MASKS’: Health officials beg Americans to stop panic-shopping. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/03/02/n95face-mask-coronavirus/ Mikulic, M. (2022, September 5). Drug manufacturers with the highest number of ordered COVID19 vaccine doses as of March 2021. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1195971/num ber-of-covid-19-vaccine-doses-by-manufacturer/ New Straits Times. (2020, March 16). Covid-19: Movement Control Order imposed with only essential sectors operating. https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/03/575177/covid19-movement-control-order-imposed-only-essential-sectors-operating Park, C.Y., Kim, K. J., Roth, S., Beck, S., Kang, J. W., Tayag, M. C., & Griffin, M. (2020). Global Shortages of Personal Protective Equipment amid COVID-19: Supply Chains, Bottlenecks, and Policy Implications. Asian Development Bank Briefs. https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/pub lication/579121/ppe-covid-19-supply-chains-bottlenecks-policy.pdf Peter, Z. (2021, July 7). Forced labour rising in Malaysia’s rubber glove factories, study shows. Voice of America. https://www.voanews.com/a/east-asia-pacific_forced-labor-rising-malaysiasrubber-glove-factories-study-shows/6207942.html Raghunathan, A. (2022, June 8). The wealth of Malaysia’s glove producers plunges as pandemic recedes. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/anuraghunathan/2022/06/08/the-wea lth-of-malaysias-glove-producers-plunges-as-pandemic-recedes/?sh=3b32a977453a Tan, T., Carvalho, M., Sivanandam, H., & Rahim, R. (2020, December 9). Nearly 100,000 Malaysians have lost jobs since start of MCO, say HR ministry. The Star. https://www.thestar. com.my/news/nation/2020/12/09/nearly-100000-malaysians-have-lost-jobs-since-start-of-mcosays-hr-ministry Tappe, A. (2022, February 1). A record number of Americans quit their jobs in 2021. CNN. https:// edition.cnn.com/2022/02/01/economy/us-job-openings-quite-december/index.html WHO. (n.d.). WHO coronavirus (COVID-19) dashboard: Overview. Retrieved September 7, 2022a, from https://covid19.who.int/

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WHO. (2021a, June 29). Listings of WHO’s response to COVID-19. Retrieved September 7, 2022, from https://www.who.int/news/item/29-06-2020-covidtimeline WHO. (2021b, October 7). 6 ways to take care of your mental health and well-being this World Mental Health Day. https://www.who.int/westernpacific/about/how-we-work/pacific-sup port/news/detail/07-10-2021b-6-ways-to-take-care-of-your-mental-health-and-well-being-thisworld-mental-health-day WHO. (2021c, December 23). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): How is it transmitted? https:// www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-how-is-ittransmitted#:~:text=Current%20evidence%20suggests%20that%20the,%2C%20speak%2C% 20sing%20or%20breathe WHO. (2022, March 2). COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide. https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022b-covid-19-pandemic-tri ggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide Wieczner, J. (2020, May 18). The case of the missing toilet paper: How the coronavirus exposed U.S. supply chain flaws. Fortune. https://fortune.com/2020/05/18/toilet-paper-sales-surge-shortagecoronavirus-pandemic-supply-chain-cpg-panic-buying/ Yusof, A. (2021, September 8). Malaysian glove sector’s global dominance to persist: Hartalega. New Straits Times. https://www.nst.com.my/business/2021/09/725323/malaysian-glove-sectorsglobal-dominance-persist-hartalega Zolkepli, F. (2020, March 28). Covid-19 PUI found dead in Serdang Hospital toilet, suicide suspected. The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/03/28/covid-19-pui-founddead-in-serdang-hospital-toilet-suicide-suspected

Chapter 2

I’m So Lost: The Dissonance and Conflict in Me

Abstract It is pertinent to note that employees are an organisation’s most important asset, hence it is important to create a positive work environment so as to encourage human development, and a flourishing performance. Reports show that employees’ enjoyment of their work is a significant factor because it contributes to their creativity and development. The ongoing pandemic has caused a major disruption to people’s lives, especially working individuals, who experienced conflicts within themselves. As the seriousness of the pandemic mounted, individuals have had to work on an unprecedented work environment. Many were taken by surprise by unknown situational cues, thereby presenting them with numerous challenges. In particular, the context in which employees’ behaviour was assessed had an important role to play. The pandemic has undoubtedly, caused working individuals to become uncertain when faced with the new condition and way of working. Such uncertainties can eventually create detrimental effects on their wellbeing. This chapter seeks to understand the conflicts they experienced. It discusses the way in which the individuals feel and think, and how they overcome these challenges. This chapter serves as a platform for the discourses of individuals experiencing conflicts during the COVID 19 outbreak, as a means offering new possibilities of overcoming these obstacles.

2.1 Introduction It is pertinent to note that employees are an organisation’s most important asset, hence it is important to create a positive work environment so as to encourage human development, and a flourishing performance. Reports show that employees’ enjoyment of their work is a significant factor because it contributes to their creativity and development. The ongoing pandemic has caused a major disruption to people’s lives, especially working individuals, who experienced conflicts within themselves. As the seriousness of the pandemic mounted, individuals have had to work on an unprecedented work environment. Many were taken by surprise by unknown situational cues, thereby presenting them with numerous challenges. In particular, the context in which employees’ behaviour was assessed had an important role to play. The pandemic has undoubtedly, caused working individuals to become uncertain when © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 R. Abu Bakar et al., Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Employee Well-being, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0432-7_2

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faced with the new condition and way of working. Such uncertainties can eventually create detrimental effects on their wellbeing. This chapter seeks to understand the conflicts they experienced. It discusses the way in which the individuals feel and think, and how they overcome these challenges. This chapter serves as a platform for the discourses of individuals experiencing conflicts during the COVID 19 outbreak, as a means offering new possibilities of overcoming these obstacles.

2.2 The Horrifying Pandemic: A New Life Much has happened since the pandemic hit the world in December, 2019. Ever since then, the world has never been the same again. As a result, chaos, uncertainty, instability, and insecurity has consumed most of us. What had seemed to be a normal day to day life was instantaneously altered—schools were closed, hospitals were crowded, and for a short period of time, shopping malls and supermarkets became deserted in some countries. Throughout the world, people’s lives and routines were transformed overnight, and life became indefinite. Fear struck the hearts of many. To the working people, there was a tremendous change from face-to-face meetings to one that depended solely on online platforms. Every individual either had to use a high-tech mobile phone or a laptop to communicate with working colleagues as zoom meetings became the trend. People were asked to stop commuting to work for fear of spreading the COVID 19 virus. On March 18 2020, following the pandemic, Malaysia implemented the Movement Control Order (MCO) as a measure to control the outbreak. The MCO involved four phases which encompassed two months, finishing on May 12 2020. During the MCO period, Malaysia suffered economic losses of RM2.4 billion each day, totalling RM63 billion as of the end of April 2020 (Hashim et al., 2021). Eventually, Malaysia loosened the MCO and re-opened its economy in an effort to lessen its financial burden. The MCO and the economic downturn had caused chaos for many, if not, all organisations. Among these, healthcare seemed to be the most affected. Due to the routine exposure of handling COVID-19 in hospitals, healthcare workers were inevitably, at a significant risk of contracting the infection. Many hospitals and health facilities were crippled while resources were depleted. Hundreds of people were dying on a daily level. Consequently, hospital staffs became hopeless and demotivated. The most horrifying of this scenario was that while these staffs were treating patients, their own family members were affected, in some cases, dying from COVID. How does one go on in life when a family member just died? How does one go to work and see the same thing again and again? This scenario was not only specific to hospital staffs but to other employees in different industries as well. That is to say, the dilemma and confusion had affected the entire nation.

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The subsequent sections will discuss the circumstances of people; it also offers some insights into employees’ perspectives, on the way they felt about their situations in the midst of the pandemic. These sections will also explain the commotion experienced by the individual thinking process which could have a profound effect on the individual’s wellbeing.

2.3 Feelings and Emotional Dissonance: Why Do I Feel This Way? The mayhem of the pandemic had created many emotional reactions among the public. Feelings such as anger, pain, anxiety, guilt, and worry were just some of the feelings experienced by individuals at that time. What was once a normal life had shifted rather quickly to one that is not really optimistic. As our daily lives became affected more negatively by the pandemic, people were experiencing more emotional turmoil, going through more uncertainty about their future. These emotions were affecting our wellbeing. As much as we try to avoid these emotional upheavals, we cannot help but feel helpless because our emotions are the centre of our wellbeing, and a constituent to our identity. As Mercer (2014) proclaimed, ‘Who we are is what we feel’ (p. 522). It is pertinent to understand what our emotions mean. The traditional view of emotion assumes that it is always conscious, that is, we know and understand what we feel (see Freud, 1950). Specifically, emotion refers to our hedonic experiences, i.e., pleasure and pain (Frijda, 1999). Emotion is the subjective experience of awareness of our feeling that causes us to react in a certain way. For instance, knowing that a relative has passed away produces a sorrowful emotion as we grief over the situation. Losing a job due to the pandemic produces distress and agony as we feel handicapped by the lack of income to feed the family. Nevertheless, our current level of understanding of the process underpinning our conscious emotions might be clouded by issues underlying other emotional reactions, which lead to the concept of unknown emotions. A group of scholars (e.g., Kihlstrom, 2022; Kihlstrom et al., 2000; Yuan et al., 2015) had debated on the traditional view of emotions which had led to the concept of ‘unconscious emotion’. This means that what is felt is not often understood, even in the case where the feeling could be extremely strong. In most cases, these conscious and unconscious emotions lead to emotional exhaustion which is generated from emotional labour. Hochschild (1993) defined emotional labour as a management of feeling to create a publicly observable facial and bodily display. Other scholars like Morris and Feldman (1996) defined emotional labour as the effort, planning, and control needed to express organisationally desired emotions during personal transactions. Emotional labour becomes dysfunctional when there is dissonance between how we truly feel and the way in which we project that emotion (i.e., displayed emotions). In other words, our feelings are not consistent with our displayed emotion. The notion

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is often called “surface acting” and “deep acting.” Surface acting entails deception and manifestation of affect. For instance, mimicking an expression of favourable feelings directed at other individuals, such as the case of a waitress to a customer. In surface acting, the waitress may not experience deep pain, and is able to ‘act’ as if she is alright, putting up a smile while taking on orders. In contrast, deep acting necessitates a transformation of the feelings experienced in order to express emotions honestly. For example, a nurse at work needs to invest a lot in her expression towards her patients. When employees feel that they are made to act out feelings which they do not feel, interactions with others may be very challenging. For instance, a nurse who had just lost her child to COVID-19 is required to attend to other COVID patients. This scenario may put her on deep acting mode, she has to make an effort to empathise with her patients, and to somewhat, let go of her pain (not entirely of course). Given the circumstances, it is plausible to assume that emotional dissonance lowers engagement, and induces emotional exhaustion, whereas a coherent state of emotion (between displayed and felt) causes an authentic expression of oneself which may be ideal for the individual’s wellbeing (see Fig. 2.1). This state of dissonance or disassociation creates role conflict which threatens the individual’s wellbeing. There are distinctions between surface acting and deep acting in terms of wellbeing. While individuals make every effort to perform at work, it is possible that most emotions shown during work are in fact, not their true emotions. Thus, it was only ‘acted’ as a requirement of the job. When individuals display emotions that are not genuinely felt, stress is induced. For instance, as frontline employees provide ongoing service in the hospitals during the pandemic, the long hours could cause them to act on the surface only. As fatigue overwhelms them, they tend not to express their real emotions. In fact, patients or customers of the hospital may even proclaim that these employees lack emotion. This inconsistency between the felt and displayed emotions could lead to role conflict within oneself, and consequently, causes individuals not to feel ‘anything’ due to fatigue. As a Fig. 2.1 The state of felt and displayed emotions

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result, the disparity between outward manifestations of emotion and inner emotional experiences trigger exhaustion. This type of exhaustion is attributable to the emotional labour experienced by the individual. Morris and Feldman (1996) proposed that the duration and frequency of emotional labour does not directly cause lower wellbeing, instead, they do so through emotional dissonance. At times, the issue is not so much about how we feel, be it positive or negative, but the opportunity to display it as authentically as possible. Bayram et al. (2012) found that hiding one’s emotions has a profound impact on depersonalisation. In other words, employees who hide the emotions which they are actually feeling at work increases their level of depersonalisation. Depersonalisation is a double-edged sword. It may be detrimental to individuals or it can also be a coping strategy. It may cause harm and disrupt one’s personal identity if taken in the long haul. Clearly, if who we are is what we feel as claimed by Mercer (2014), then this would mean that our identity has been compromised or jeopardised when depersonalisation is internalized by the individual in the long run. As a case in point, imagine an individual losing a job due to the downturn of the economy during the pandemic. He/she is forced to stay at home during the movement control order (MCO). This individual may become emotionally and physically numb as a result of being unable to express him/herself to anyone. During the MCO, seeing other people was restricted while the opportunity to express oneself online via a video conversation could be awkward. Thus, these individuals keep to themselves, and over a long period of time, they become detached from anyone, hence, depersonalised. For them to snap out of depersonalisation without the support of others would be difficult. On the other hand, when individuals depersonalise, they are in reality, psychologically withdrawing from emotional exhaustion. Employees who are emotionally exhausted can use this as a coping mechanism to keep themselves away from work demands, and to avoid further resource depletion. According to the Conservation of Resources theory (Hobfoll, 1989), when resources are severely depleted (as they are when someone is emotionally exhausted), people are more inclined to undertake defensive measures (such as withholding resource investment by not working hard or escaping work) to stop future resource loss. Depersonalisation, or withdrawing from the social demands of the workplace, may be an effective strategy for safeguarding one’s remaining resources. For instance, during the pandemic, a manager who had suddenly lost a parent to COVID, should take a few days off from work. This could create an emotional buffer between the individual and the stressful condition at work. Coming back to work a few days later could help him/her to reenergise and focus on the job. The key to coping is to know our limits, and to strategise on the best way to redeploy or redirect our energy at work. Only then can we ensure that our wellbeing is being taken care of.

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2.4 Thinking and Cognitive Dissonance: Why Do I Behave This Way? The iconic sculpture of “The Thinker” (see Fig. 2.2) by Rodin in 1904 serves as an illustration of this understanding of thinking as a private, inward activity. Rodin shows a man, sitting by himself and resting his forehead on his hand. He is not speaking or listening to anyone. He seems to have given up on engaging in social life because he is just focused on himself. The absence of clothes emphasises that the thinker belongs to no social group and carries no marker of cultural identity. As Billig (1997) puts it, the picture conveys the idea that thinking is a solitary, silent activity rather than a communal, discursive one. Our thinking very much affects our attitude, and how we behave in the real world. Our attitude is the result of our evaluation of various things, people, or circumstances. The trilogy of attitude is classified into cognitive, affective, and intention to behave (behavioral) (Robbins & Judge, 2022) (see Fig. 2.3). Cognitive is the opinion or belief component, affective is the emotional or feeling component, and behavioural is the intention to behave in a certain way toward someone or something. These three components are intertwined. As an illustration, a person could belief the worst about Fig. 2.2 The thinker (Source Ayshah Nabeelah, 2023)

2.4 Thinking and Cognitive Dissonance: Why Do I Behave This Way?

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Fig. 2.3 Elements of an attitude

COVID-19, and believe that he/she could be easily infected (cognitive), he/she would then feel threatened and scared (affective), and consequently, he/she would refuse to attend work even if the organisation was not under a lockdown (behavioural). The COVID-19 pandemic has caused much emotional turmoil, causing individuals to be depleted of their emotional resources. As individuals go through their thinking process, cognitive fatigue transpires especially when individuals try to make dozens of decisions in a day whilst attending to others’ needs, and also worrying if they had made the right decision. In some cases, individual may promote a viewpoint that is at odds with their values, lying, or acting in a way that goes against their principles. Cognitive dissonance serves as a valuable framework for examining the choices people make which involves deep-rooted psychological fears as in the case of the pandemic. It is a psychological state where our beliefs and actions do not conform with one another. Festinger (1957) claimed that cognitive dissonance is an incompatibility perceived by an individual—either between two or more attitudes, or between behaviour and attitude. It would seem very hard for the individual to avoid dissonance in the face of the pandemic. For instance, we know that going out to buy food or groceries is not permitted for those with COVID symptoms, yet some individuals do it anyway. After all, who is going to buy the food if not themselves? This was the case at the beginning of the pandemic before online food/groceries delivery became popular. In some circumstances, we witness people fighting for groceries and stocking up on food, even though they know that this would impact the needs of others. Some do it even though the practice may be against their principles. This means that their choices were not consistent with their beliefs and values, so what causes them to behave in such a way? The truth of the matter is that when there is dissonance, people may change their attitude or behaviour so as to minimise their discomfort. More often than not, they come up with an explanation for the contradiction to make themselves feel better. As Robbins and Judge (2022) asserted, people alter their attitudes or develop rationalisation for the discrepancy. Generally, individuals resort to three actions to

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reduce dissonance: (1) changing their attitudes, (2) modifying their behaviours, and (3) developing their own rationalisation. By way of explanation, the person who is stocking up food (i.e., panic buying) could tell themselves that ‘my family is more important at this time so that is why I’m doing this’ (i.e., changing their attitude), or he/she could buy food stocks online and actually see the number of stocks available so as to not panic buy (i.e., modify their behaviours), or they could develop a rationalisation and say ‘If I don’t stock up food now, I will never be able to do it later as I will expose myself to COVID by going out’ (i.e., develop rationalisation). Essentially, people’s desire to reduce dissonance depends on three grounds, i.e., the importance of the elements, the degree of individual influence, and the rewards involved in overcoming the dissonance. First, how important is food for my family at this time? Are their lives worth so much more than others? Second, can I control panic buying? Is there another way? If it is something we can control, individuals would be more motivated to reduce the dissonance. Third, are there any rewards if I do not get into panic buying? Would I get better quality foods if I do not stock up everything and instead, buy on a needful basis? These desires drive people to make choices. Sometimes, a choice that benefit themselves and disadvantage others. For the most part, these choices are driven by negative thinking and emotions, which often lead us to reject knowledge. We sometimes go into denial to make ourselves feel better. Scholars have argued that cognitive dissonances are negative emotions that cause us to reject certain information (see Perlovsky & Schoeller, 2019), a dilemma within ourselves. A noteworthy paper which exemplified this notion of the ‘pot calling the kettle black’ is when people are accountable for the very flaw they blame on others (Barkan et al., 2012). In other words, people often evaluate others more harshly, by portraying themselves as being more morally upright. They believe in their own morals; they want to see themselves as honourable and deserving. Again, due to cognitive inconsistencies and desperate moments, they redefine and reframe the situation, and then they provide justifications for their actions. Hence, they tell themselves ‘I need this product more than they do, so it is okay for me get the whole lot’. But should a stranger act likewise, then he/she is marked as selfish. The above section has already established that the emotional and motivational processes that guide our behaviours are typically viewed in terms of conscious mental states. This is particularly true when viewed from the traditional perspectives. We are conscious of our thoughts, feelings, and desires, and we act on them. However, just like emotions, cognitive states including perceptions, memories, and thoughts can also be unconscious. In fact, Kihlstrom et al. (2000) contended the idea that conscious experience, thinking, and actions are impacted by perceptions, memories, and other mental states that are inaccessible to phenomenal awareness and somehow, independent of voluntary control. This is known as unconscious mental life, or psychological unconsciousness. It is possible for states of perception, memory, and thoughts to be implicit or unconscious. That is, it is beyond our conscious control, and ultimately, it influences our behaviour.

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The advantage of unconscious thinking is the ability to trust our instincts. Intuition arises from our knowledge and past experiences due to unconscious thoughts. It is the internal belief, gut instinct, or hunch that something is the way it is without (yet) knowing the precise reason why (Strick & Dijksterhuis, 2011). In many cases, individuals trust their instinct so as to arrive at a sound decision without much thought because they are so proficient and matured in their thoughts. They are able to swiftly identify the core of complex problems, and to provide the right solution. After all, intuition comes to exist from past experiences. For this reason, adopting a resolution based on our ‘gut feeling’ may just be the key to better outcomes. In the case of the pandemic, individuals should take advantage of both conscious and unconscious thinking as both presents benefits to decision making. As such, employees, leaders, and managers in organisations may be able to make far more superior decisions in the midst of chaos and complex dilemma.

2.5 Individual Challenges in Malaysia In Malaysia, the chaos of COVID-19 has certainly exacerbated the experience of emotional and cognitive dissonance. On March 18th 2020, when the prime minister announced that a total lockdown would take place, many were in the state of panic. The containment of Movement Control Order (MCO) had caused the intensification of many measures, such as the closure of schools, public events, and restrictions on gatherings. The stay-at-home order encompassed the closure of public transportation, workplaces, and many more. Malaysia was among one of the earliest countries which acted swiftly to the control situations. The outcome of this control led many to work from home while others lost their jobs (see Table 2.1). A majority of 46.6% of self-employed individuals had succumbed to this loss, while 73.7% of employees in government linked-companies, and 80.8% of those from multinational companies worked from homes. Table 2.1 illustrates. In the realm of work, organisations were experiencing a greater affliction. Jobs that could not be performed at home or could pose a higher risk of infection were those most impacted by COVID-19. In Malaysia, workers involved in construction, factories, and manufacturing had to be retrenched. However, not everything was lost. With the modernisation of the economy, new ways of doing work were created. Organisations were quick to promote the shift, and consumers resorted to new economic activities such as venturing into e-commerce activities, moving from formal banking to online banking, and so digital marketing became a norm. In particular, job training and upskilling programmes were offered to enhance the digitalisation of work. Nonetheless, not every task can be automated entirely. For people-centred essential services like education and healthcare, the show must go on. In education, this led to the usage of digital assets and media for online teaching as a measure to enhance students’ experience and learning. However, lecturers were still required to provide quality educational experiences. In healthcare, face-to-face interactions were still deemed necessary.

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Table 2.1 Effects of COVID-19 outbreak by employment status Employment status

Effects of COVID-19 outbreak (%) Work from home

Half paid leave

Unpaid leave

Lost job

Number of working hour has reduced

Number of working hour has increased

No impact

Self-employed

25.1

0.9

9.2

46.6

13.8

0.6

3.8

Employer

30.9

3.8

14.5

23.8

22.2

1.4

3.3

Government link 73.7 company (GLC) employee

0.6

1.1

0.4

14.7

1.4

8.2

Private employee

48.9

7.0

13.2

1.8

17.5

1.8

9.8

Multinational Company (MNC) employee

80 8

0.9

2.0

0.4

7.2

2.1

6.6

Source Department of Statistics, 2020

As the nation hit a record high on COVID-19 infection rate, patients were overflowing in Malaysia’s hospitals. There were evidences of pictures and videos of these patients lying on hospital floors which became viral. Apparently, Malaysian hospitals were overwhelmed, and patients exceeded their capacity. Many hospitals refused referrals, and this endangered patients who were in need of care. As a matter of fact, some procedures to save patients were even performed on the floor simply because there was no space left. Many of the patients were also left lying outside of hospital wards (see Photo below). Parents were worried, children were distraught, and the number of people dying were on the rise. Within the healthcare sector, some work evolved around quick turnaround time, and some decisions had to be made in a hasty manner because there was just no time. Further to this, it was discovered that there was not enough emergency room beds to handle the rush of patients. Many, if not all the wards in the hospitals in Malaysia, during the pandemic, were occupied with insufficient ventilators to cater to the patients’ needs (The Diplomat, 2021). Medical staff members were forced to “play God” by choosing which patients would receive ventilators first. Such was the circumstances.

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Source The Straits Times (July 9th, 2021) Besides the healthcare sector that was being affected, others too suffered similar effects. Financial bankers had to entertain requests from their customers, airlines employees had to explain to customers about the cancellation of flights, and CEOs had to downsize their workforce due to costs. As a result of these impact, there was much exchange of emotionally charged behaviours at work. People such as patients, clients, subordinates, co-workers followed by those involved in other professions ran the risk of being mentally taxed. During their work, these people may exhibit emotions that are not necessarily their true feeling, thereby believing that they are delivering low quality services, particularly when presented with unknown situational cues and unfamiliar work environment. In this context, many employees would be struggling with their emotional management as they strive to fulfil their prescribed roles. These prescribed roles may encompass their work roles or home roles. The discrepancy between their public display while working, and their internal experiences of emotions could cause them to experience fatigue easily thereby, creating conflicts within themselves. This inability to cope between what is prescribed and what is true emotion has caused many individuals to be at conflict with themselves. Can they really be their true self? The constant negative emotion experienced by the individuals in their professional domain can be detrimental to their psychological wellbeing. The harmful outcome of this psychological wellbeing is manifested not only in the actions of the individuals concerned but also the output of the individuals at work. Many employees may succumb to work pressure so as to internalise their role demands and this could lead to poorer job performance. Having said that, this could affect the reputation of the specific organisation due to the employee’s low quality performance. This role conflict where our emotions (e.g., feeling exhausted) are in opposition to role expectations (e.g., need to perform better with longer hours) is detrimental to our wellbeing.

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In this regard, when effective management is impeded by emotional and cognitive dissonance, employees can be forced to accept a false perception of “reality” thereby, making less wise judgments. Eventually, their performance would further deteriorate. Given the rapid growth of various industries in a developing country like Malaysia, it is pertinent that organisations become aware of the impact which emotional and cognitive dissonance has on employees. In other words, projecting our authentic self is necessary for maintaining a decent amount of wellbeing. The opportunity to experience our true emotions can be a double-edged sword. While it could help us to create a positive experience, it nonetheless, can also be detrimental if it is not used or expressed appropriately. Other measures for ensuring corrective action towards cognitive dissonance, such as being open to new ideas, looking for reliable and credible information, being willing to admit mistakes, and keeping an eye on the environment for outcomes, are equally vital for any individual. These challenges, when faced by working individuals, can certainly be overcome if everyone in the workforce is consistent with internalising emotional regulations, and being mindful of their emotions and ways of cultivating better roles at work. Doing so can help the respective individuals to achieve better wellbeing and greater organisational efficiency.

2.6 My Wellbeing, My Choice The aim of this chapter is twofolds. First, it aims to provide readers with a deeper understanding of our emotions, and the demands associated with emotions. Second, it explores the pertinent aspects of emotional and cognitive dissonance, and their impact on our wellbeing. It goes without saying that emotion and identity are interdependent. Without emotion, identification does not motivate. Emotion gives importance to identity. During the pandemic, feelings of worry, anxiety, and confusion haunted almost every individual. This threatened our identity and makes us incredibly vulnerable. Consequently, even though emotions fill all aspects of the human life, the capacity for self-control and emotional management has emerged as a fundamental tenet of civilisation. During the pandemic, the public was advised to stay home, and to steer clear of large crowds. This was articulated many times over by the government, the media, celebrities, and other influencers. The aim was to try to encourage the public to remain as much away from the crowd as possible. The hashtag #stayhome was used by the media as a vital message to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Malaysia. Although this has been conveyed to all spheres of the society, the choice of staying at home and obeying the government’s mandate was still within the individual. For the most part, majority of the society respected the government’s directive, hence they complied accordingly. It appears that exercising good emotional management enables people to restrain impulsive behaviour and conform to the government’s mandate. Nevertheless, the effect of the MCO had affected the individuals in various ways. For instance, those with jobs, and used to having interactions with other human

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beings on a frequent basis had to restrain all such movements when the MCO was imposed. Part of this requirement evolved around our ability to regulate our emotions. This discrepancy between public display (even in the case of online meeting or discussions), and internal experiences of emotions has caused much distress. When faced with desperation, we try to remember to take care of ourselves while remaining ‘conscious’ in various situations. But the truth of the matter is that we are not always thinking consciously. In the midst of the COVID-19 commotion, most of us, if not all, feared the worst; we experienced a sense of loss. Thus, whether we were experiencing emotional or cognitive dissonance, it is still important to know how to regulate and minimise such dissonance. One way to regulate our dissonance, from the individual perspective, is to have some form of control over the emotions that we feel, when we experience them. Then we must take control over how we experience and express the emotions. It is important to take a step back, and to rethink what is going on in the world, particularly what is happening to the society on a daily basis. Our ability to reframe the daily hassles in a positive light may help us to manage our emotions better. For example, an employee who is forced to work from home may experience conflict with family members over domestic chores since both domestic and work responsibilities have become blurry. However, by being able to view the situation in a positive way, we can understand our situation better. For instance, by working from home, we are able to spend more time with family. This is something we were not able to delve into before. The presence of the pandemic has thus permitted us to do so, and to explore what life at work and at home with family is like. Another way to regulate our dissonance, from the organisational perspective, is that the state of desynchrony between our emotions, our thinking, and behaviour can be resolved if we could be more mindful about what is going on at the workplace. As Holley (2021) had established, the best antidote to the negative effect of cognitive dissonance is by being open to alternative possibilities, being willing to admit to mistakes, seeking out valid information, monitoring the environment for results, and having trusted colleagues and advisors. Moreover, contextual factors such as having social support (e.g., colleagues or family members), and a conducive work environment should also be considered. Leaders need to identify the triggers of burnouts (e.g., burning out from online meeting, or distress from work-life interference), and to provide support to those who need the assistance. When employees feel that their personal wellbeing and their professional activities have the support of their organisations, the likelihood of any burn-out declines. McCance et al. (2013) revealed that social sharing practices, such as discussing an emotionally taxing experience with co-workers helped to lessen the associated unpleasant emotions (such as anger and grief).

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2.7 Conclusion Ultimately, the improvement of our wellbeing is determined by the path we choose, regardless of whether we are mindful or have a good organisational support, we may experience emotional dissonance if these emotional demands do not match our actual emotions. We may even feel disassociated if our beliefs do not correspond to our behaviour. Nonetheless, how we chose to control and manage our feelings and thinking will essentially determine our wellbeing. Having positive emotions, being resilient and being engaged at work can help us to focus and experience a better life at the workplace. Good wellbeing due to positive psychological functioning helps to progress one’s career. Individuals get to flourish and find pleasure in their work. More often than not, this experience helps employees to find meaning in their career. Undoubtedly, the experiences we all went through during the pandemic have taught us many lessons. While some may argue that the pandemic had caused much damage, it had also created a lot of good. These experiences have not only taught us to be agile in the face of chaos, but to also develop a higher sense of humanity, kindness and care towards others, whether at work or in other domains of our lives.

References Barkan, R., Ayal, S., Gino, F., & Ariely, D. (2012). The pot calling the kettle black: Distancing response to ethical dissonance. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 141(4), 757. Bayram, N., Aytac, S., & Dursun, S. (2012). Emotional labor and burnout at work: A study from Turkey. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 65, 300–305. Billig, Michael. (1997). “Rhetoric and the unconscious”. OSSA Conference Archive, 1.https://sch olar.uwindsor.ca/ossaarchive/OSSA2/keynotes/1 Department of Statistics. (2020). Report of special survey on effects of covid-19 on economy & individual—Round 1. https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cone&menu_id=d3pnMX Z4ZHJjUnpnYjNyUnJhek83dz09 Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Row, Peterson, & Co. Freud, S. (1950). Collected papers (J. Riviere, Trans.) (Vol. 4). Frijda, N. H. (1999). Emotions and hedonic experience. In D. Kahneman, E. Diener, & N. Schwarz (Eds.), Well-being: The foundations of hedonicpsychology (pp. 190–210). Russell Sage Foundation. Hashim, J. H., Adman, M. A., Hashim, Z., Mohd Radi, M. F., & Kwan, S. C. (2021). COVID19 epidemic in Malaysia: Epidemic progression, challenges, and response. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 560592. Holley, R. P. (2021). Cognitive dissonance: A barrier to effective management. Journal of Library Administration, 61(7), 889–896. Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513. Hochschild, A. (1993). Preface. In S. Finemen (Ed.), Emotion in organizations. Sage Publication. Kihlstrom, J. F. (2022). Consciousness, the unconscious, and the self. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 9(1), 78. Kihlstrom, J. F., Mulvaney, S., Tobias, B. A., & Tobis, I. P. (2000). The emotional unconscious. Cognition and emotion, 30, 86.

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McCance, A. S., Nye, C. D., Wang, L., Jones, K. S., & Chiu, C. Y. (2013). Alleviating the burden of emotional labor: The role of social sharing. Journal of Management, 39(2), 392–415. Mercer, J. (2014). Feeling like a state: Social emotion and identity. International Theory, 6(3), 515–535. Morris, J. A., & Feldman, D. C. (1996). The dimensions, antecedents, and consequences of emotional labor. Academy of Management Review, 21(4), 986–1010. Perlovsky, L., & Schoeller, F. (2019). Unconscious emotions of human learning. Physics of Life Reviews, 31, 257–262. Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2022). Organizational behavior (19th ed.). Pearson Education Limited. Strick, M., & Dijksterhuis, A. (2011). Intuition and unconscious thought. In Handbook of intuition research. Edward Elgar Publishing. The Diplomat. (July 12th, 2021). ‘Malaysia’s total lockdown failure plunges hospitals into crisis’. https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/malaysias-total-lockdown-failure-plunges-hospit als-into-crisis/ The StraitsTimes. (July 9th, 2021). ‘Hospitals in Malaysia overwhelmed as Covid-19 cases spike’. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/hospitals-in-malaysia-overwhelmed-as-covid19-cases-spike Yuan, J., Ding, N., Liu, Y., & Yang, J. (2015). Unconscious emotion regulation: Nonconscious reappraisal decreases emotion-related physiological reactivity during frustration. Cognition and Emotion, 29(6), 1042–1053.

Chapter 3

Don’t Struggle in Silence: Let the Laws Do Their Part

Abstract The pandemic and the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) had undoubtedly, altered many facets of people’s lives besides amplifying their level of stress. From a workplace perspective, COVID-19 had strained relationships between employers and employees. This chapter emphasises on the necessity of preserving employees’ mental health to ensure long-term well-being in the workplace. This framework places a strong focus on the control measures offered by legal provisions as protection for employees with mental health issues. Due attention is focused on the Malaysian scenario on mental health matters and the legislative framework for mental health protection. Recommendations are highlighted and reforms to boost the effectiveness of the existing legal provisions are suggested, wherever necessary. The discussion also focuses on the approaches taken by other jurisdictions particularly, the United Kingdom (England and Wales). The UK has rich legal provisions for mental health protection, especially in the context of the workplace. The choice of focusing on the UK is justified because the Malaysian legal system was substantially shaped by British colonialisation, both statutorily and in practice. In addition, a glance through the practices of other countries, such as the US, Singapore, and Australia are also benchmarked in this chapter for guidance.

3.1 Introduction The pandemic and the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) had undoubtedly, altered many facets of people’s lives besides amplifying their level of stress. Due to the situation, people have had to experience much anguish, trying to adapt to the new normal. Research and survey have shown that work-related stress, anxiety, and depression have been on the rise since the COVID, hence it was no surprise that many had been struggling to adjust and to stabilise their lives. From a workplace perspective, COVID-19 had strained relationships between employers and employees. Employers undoubtedly had to face the challenge of having to juggle their liabilities with the needs of the employees. Employers who were affected had to take various measures, including a reduction in working hours and salaries, closing down of operations temporarily, and the terminating of employees. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 R. Abu Bakar et al., Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Employee Well-being, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0432-7_3

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All of these measures have had detrimental effects on employees’ well-being, and this in turn, would exacerbate their mental health state which could lead to suicidal thoughts. A concerted effort from several sources is thus required to protect the rights and welfare of those suffering from such anguish. Since counselling and simple efforts alone are insufficient to safeguard employees’ well-being, the law must be seen to be more enforceable. Premised on this condition, mental health care and the mitigation of mental illness risks must be closely regulated within a robust legal framework that must be strictly adhered to. This chapter emphasises on the necessity of preserving employees’ mental health so as to ensure long-term well-being in the workplace. This framework places a strong focus on the control measures which the legal provisions may offer as protection for employees with mental health issues. Due attention is focused on the Malaysian scenario on mental health matters and the legislative framework for mental health protection. Recommendations are highlighted and reforms to boost the effectiveness of the existing legal provisions are suggested, wherever necessary. The discussion also focuses on the approaches taken by other jurisdictions particularly, the United Kingdom (England and Wales). The UK has rich legal provisions for mental health protection, especially in the context of the workplace. The choice of focusing on the UK is justified because the Malaysian legal system was substantially shaped by British colonialisation, both statutorily and in practice. In addition, a glance through the practices of other countries, such as the US, Singapore, and Australia are also benchmarked in this chapter for guidance.

3.2 Pandemic—Mental Health Disaster Society’s level of mental health before and after COVID differs quite broadly. While the pre-COVID days rate had not been measured with accuracy, the COVID days and the MCO imposed period seemed to differ visibly, as reported by daily news broadcasts. Obviously, domestic violence, substance abuse, loneliness, anxiety, and depression were noted to have increased significantly during the COVID pandemic. When schools were forced to close, child abuse at home was also observed to be very high (Asmundson & Taylor, 2020; Galea et al., 2020; Grover et al., 2020). On top of that, suicide rate was also noted to have increased. It appears that societies need to adapt to such emerging health requirements more effectively if they aim to have a better understanding of the full breadth and long-term impact of the effect of mental health (IPSOS, 2022). The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a big change to the labour market landscape of Malaysia. Many employees lost their jobs, and among the sectors hardest hit by the impact of the COVID pandemic was food (35.4%), agriculture (21.9%), and construction (11.8%). The state of this sadness had undoubtedly, worsened due to job loss, with many families losing loved ones to the pandemic, and others affected

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by the mounting financial strain due to job losses. Indeed, some people claimed that they were so overwhelmed by this radical transformation of events that their health was badly affected. Reports (Carvalho et al., July 30, 2018) indicated that 4.2 million Malaysians, or more than 40% of those who were employed, were suffering from mental health concerns. This was stressed at a 2018 parliamentary hearing. Based on the Special Survey of 2020, “Effects of COVID-19 on the Economy and Individuals,” it appears that 52.6% of employees were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (Department of Statistics, Malaysia, 2020). There was also claim of an increase in suicide rate. According to the information provided by the Royal Malaysian Police, there were 609 suicide incidents in 2019, with 631 cases in 2020, and a total of 336 suicide cases between January and March 2021 (Royal Malaysian Police, 2021).

3.3 Mental Health Priority: Let’s Do This Together Undoubtedly, the government must play a more significant role in this aspect. It must take the initiative to oversee the population’s public health; it also ought to find better ways of inspiring and empowering its people to lead healthier lifestyles. Simultaneously, it also needs to encourage the citizens to take a more proactive approach towards managing their lifestyle decisions, health, and wellness. In general, individuals must take precautions by adopting preventive measures to safeguard their mental health. Such mechanisms can be in the form of exercise, nutrition and diet, food selection, and supplement (Walsh, 2011). Social media is another tool that may be utilised to facilitate group communication, and to point users towards reputable sources of mental health help. These platforms can also improve check-in features so that people can stay in touch with one another on a frequent basis, and share information about their requirements for resources and well-being (Galea et al., 2020). From the perspective of the workforce, employers can initiate any programmes or activities which can promote the health and wellbeing of their employees. Employers need to consider strategies which can help them to enhance the physical and psychological wellbeing of their staff. Doing so allows organisations to boost their employees’ attendance, productivity, and commitment. Indeed, better management, well-designed jobs, and efficient cooperation and communication can help employers to solve such problems. It might be especially beneficial if the employees feel supported especially if their overall health and wellness is being cared for by their employers (Bevan, 2010).

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3.4 Mental Health—Let the Law Play Its Roles It is important to acknowledge that the role of the law is to serve as a fundamental control in mitigating mental health problems, and in safeguarding the rights and welfare of those suffering from mental illness (Mallow, 2016). In view of the efforts required to implement positive actions, and to give a voice to those with disabilities, whether as individuals or as a society, the role played by the law can be made more inspiring through significant contributions (Bell, 2016). In the context of the workforce, legislation must evolve, particularly in terms of the number of reasonable safety measures that employers must use in order to minimise risks (Wilson & Pender, 2021). This is particularly true in instances of mental illness, which is usually caused by stress at work, bullying, or disciplinary measures (Bevan, 2010). Strategies taken by employers to alleviate employees’ stress at work involves giving people high-quality employment such as providing them more autonomy, control, and engagement in how their work is performed (Coats & Lekhi, 2008). Laws pertaining to mental health should prioritise prompt medical care for those in need of help, especially those mentally ill. The scope of the concerns surrounding mental health must be expanded by policymakers. However, regulations governing mental health frequently strikes a compromise between this and the general requirement to safeguard people’s personal safety whether it is the individual whose illness poses a risk to themselves or to others. Premised on this condition, the nature of the law that should be applicable to mental illness should not be stringent. It should not penalise the patient. In fact, it should offer due protection to these patients so as to lessen the stress they suffer. The law should not be punitive, instead it should be supportive as in assuring the mental patients that their welfare is being taken care of.

3.5 The Malaysian Scenario 3.5.1 Awareness Unlike developed countries, the Malaysian society is not well exposed to mental health concerns in an extensive manner. This is compounded by the fact that the topic of mental health is seldom widely discussed in public. In fact, it was unheard of. Studies have indicated that the Malaysian society has very limited knowledge and awareness about mental health (Safari et al., 2011; Talib & Nor, 2020; Yeap & Low, 2009). People with mental health issues were typically seen as being insane, weak, or subjected to spirit possession, and they become a social stigma (Parameshvara Deva, 2004). However, to date, Malaysians have begun paying more attention to issues related to mental health. Even though the issue is still surrounded by stigma, the Malaysian society is becoming more aware of the need to protect the people’s mental

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health. Gradually, attitudes regarding mental illness also altered. People acknowledged that mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorders are not restricted to cases of lunacy only. Awareness of the importance of mental health has also begun to emerge with the occurrence of some unwanted tragedies, such as suicide and self-immolation due to mental problems. The COVID 19 pandemic had hit the employment and enterprise sectors badly. People have had to be retrenched while others have had to adjust their working hours, especially in working from home. In addition, concerns involving career continuity were also experienced by affected employees. The pressure due to the change in routine and in organisational changes in Malaysia recorded a high of 67% which was higher than the world level of 55%, according to the IPSOS survey (IPSOS Malaysia, 2021).

3.5.2 Mental Health Regulations: How Far Has Malaysia Gone? Malaysia is equipped with a legal framework that governs mental health. It has several relevant statutes supporting this. The most pertinent and applicable of these on the workforce are further discussed.

3.5.2.1

Employment Act, 1955 (Act 265)

The Employment Act of 1995 is the main piece of legislation governing the relationship between an employer and an employee (EA, 1955). It should be noted that only employees in the private-sector are covered by the EA 1955. Employees from the government sector are excluded because they are governed by the General Orders and Administrative Instructions which are regularly updated and amended by circulars issued by the Public Service Department and the Ministry of Finance (MOF). Originally, the EA 1995 applied exclusively to employees earning up to RM2000 per month. However, by virtue of the new amendment which will take effect on 1 January 2023, the EA shall be applicable to all employees regardless of their wages, except for certain provisions like Section 60 (3), Section 60A(3), Section 60C(2A), Section 60D(3), Section 60D(4), and Section 60 J which are not applicable to employees earning more than RM4000 per month. Among the provisions that mirror the support of employees’ mental health offered by this Act are, the right to 60 days’ maternity leave given to women each time they give birth (Section 37). However, the new Amendment enforceable in January 2023 has expanded this to 98 days to support working mothers during their recuperating process. Another good news is that working fathers are given seven (7) consecutive days’ paternity in support of their wives’ pregnancy (Section 60 FA, EA 1995).

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Apart from that, the EA 1955 confers the right for an employee to file a complaint in matters that can trigger employees’ wellbeing, such as cases involving sexual harassment (Sections 81A–81G), and wrongful termination (parts 12–15). Case laws had demonstrated that certain provisions had been successfully invoked before the court. For instance, the employee who was a victim of her employer’s sexual misconduct had been awarded huge damages by the Federal Court (Mohd Ridzwan Abdul Razak v Asmah Hj Mohd Nor, [2016]). In order to enhance awareness on sexual harassment, it is to be noted that the new Amendment 2022 requires employers to conspicuously exhibit a notice on sexual harassment at all times (Section 81H, EA [Amendment Act] 2022). In line with the issue of termination, the employee who was retrenched during COVID-19 had successfully claimed that his retrenchment was unlawful due to insufficiency of justifications provided by the employer (Mohd Zakir Yusoff v Telarix (M) Sdn Bhd [2020]). The employer’s argument that the retrenchment was necessary due to the financial difficulty of the company, was rejected by the court as it was evidenced that the employer had advertised for a new similar position upon the employee’s retrenchment. The court upheld the employee’s claim. Thus, it should be noted that, notwithstanding the employers’ prerogative or right to retrench employees, during a critical time, the employer must be able to provide concrete justifications for retrenchment, such as significant business finances deterioration caused by COVID-19, and layoffs were the only option to save the company (Section 12 (3), EA 1995; William Jacks & Co (M) Bhd v. S. Balasingam [1997]; Tharmabalan Suppiah Velliah v. MSL Travel Sdn Bhd, [2019]). Despite the aforementioned protection offered by EA 1955, it has also been criticised for its narrow coverage which disadvantaged the atypical employees, such as temporary workers, people working from home, and self-employed individuals (Bhatt, 2015). The EA 1955 does not grant these categories of employees any privilege or adequate protection of their rights. Another pertinent issue is that employers are authorised to dismiss individuals whose mental illnesses were the cause of their subpar performance at work (Section 10, EA, 1955). The rights of these employees with mental health issues appear to have been neglected by virtue of this provision (Jayasingam et al., 2020). However, it appears that Sections 12 and 13 have softened this rigidity by requiring employers to pay employees indemnities equal to the wages they would have earned during the notice’s term or the remaining part of that term, upon the termination of their employment, whether with or without prior notice. The new January 2023 amendment, nonetheless, forbids employers from terminating pregnant employees who suffered pregnancy related illnesses, except in the case of misconduct, willful breach of contract and closure of company (Section 41A, Amendment Act 2022). Thus, it could be inferred that the EA of 1955’s rules governing the termination of employment automatically encompassed the employees’ mental health. A further new benefit is that the current normal working hours of 48 h will be reduced to 45 h in one week (Section 20, EA Amendment Act 2022). The new Amendment will also recommend flexible working arrangements (FWA), and employees can submit a written application to employers for FWA. The employers must revert within

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60 days, stating the reasons for the rejection in the case of a refusal (Section 60P & Section 60Q, EA 1995). Evidently, the EA 1955 provides various provisions related to employer’s duty of care towards employees’ mental health. Previous local case laws had demonstrated that employees had benefitted from these provisions, and justice had been served. Yet, there were cases where employers were exempted from their responsibility to take care of their employees’ health at work. The new amendment enforceable on 1 January 2023 is thus, expected to take the interest and wellbeing of employees into consideration. The amendment was originally meant to be enforced in January 2022 but due to the non-readiness of industry players to keep up with the changes after COVID-19, it was thus postponed (Hana Naz Harun, August 26, 2022).

3.5.2.2

Occupational Safety & Health Act, 1994 (Act 514)

The Occupational Safety & Health Act, 1994 (OSHA, 1994) also provides a legal provision which exclusively covers the safety, health, and welfare of the Malaysian workforce. The recent Occupational Safety and Health (Amendment) Act, 2022 (Act 1648) which took effect in Mac 2022 aims to strengthen workers’ protection in pursuant to the vicissitudes in the labour market following the COVID-19 outbreak. In this provision, employees are protected against harmful and hazardous employment practices in order to safeguard their well-being (Section 15 (1)). The Principal Act, OSHA (1994) requires that employers maintain a safe working environment that is free of health risks, with suitable facilities that take care of the employees’ wellbeing while at work (Section 15 (2)(e), OSHA, 1994). Any failure by employers to comply with the above requirement carries a penalty of a maximum of RM50,000 or two (2) years imprisonment, or both (Section 19, OSHA, 1994). A greater punishment is regulated by the Amendment Act which increases the penalty amount from RM50,000 to RM500,000 or two (2) years imprisonment, or both (Section 17 (c) Amendment Act 2022). This Act further highlights the responsibility of both the employer and the selfemployed to develop a safety and healthcare policy (Section 16). Regular updates to this policy are required, and employees need to be made aware of this so that they would know what to do when workplace safety and health concerns developed. Notwithstanding the fact that the principal act, OSHA (1994), was successful in ensuring the safety and health of employees in the sense that it had a greater emphasis on physical safety and health, it nevertheless, failed to expressly include occupational stress (Mohamed et al., 2018). The OSHA (1994) does not carry an explicit requirement which states that employers must deal with issues related to the mental illness of employees as a result of occupational stress (Azmi et al., 2021). By virtue of Section 49 (vi) of the Amendment Act 2022, however, it seems to state that any regulation that may be enforced by the ministry in relation to workers’ safety and health must cover “ergonomic, physiological, and psychological” factors. Thus, employers must provide an ergonomic-environment as its workplace in the sense that

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it suits the employees’ capability as well as protects them from injury and illnesses. Apart from that, the workplace environment must be free from any element that can trigger the employee’s physiological and psychological wellbeing, such as poor promotion prospects, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment. Another obvious loophole marked in the OSHA (1994) is, its frequent highlight on the responsibility of employers to cater to employees’ safety and health in the workplace. Efforts have been initiated through the Amendment Act 2022 to extend the workplace to “all places of work throughout Malaysia including the public service and statutory authorities” (Section 1 (2), Amendment Act 2022). Therefore, it will cover all places where the work is performed. This provision serves a mercy to all the industry players since currently, it is a common practice of Malaysians to conduct their businesses from homes or other practical places. Thus, from the above discussed, it appears that the Amendment Act 2022 serves an updated conducive atmosphere to encourage mental wellness in the workplace in order to prevent impairing the workers’ mental health. Due the implementation of this act is still new, it is still too early to challenge the effectiveness of this act in the near future.

3.5.2.3

Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 (Act 685)

The Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 (PWD Act, 2008) safeguards persons with disabilities (PWDs) by preventing organisations or companies from discriminating against them in joining the workforce or in giving them unfair treatment against PWDs during their period of employment. PWDs are entitled to several benefits under this Act, including special access rights to public facilities, with no obstacles (Ganesh & Krishnan, 2016). According to the Act, long-term mental impairment qualifies as a disability. Therefore, sufferers are guaranteed to have access to employment, equality of opportunity, and healthy workplace environments that are free of mental tortures, such as discrimination and harassment. The fact that certain mental illnesses are curable while some may require therapy is unfortunately, ignored when mental health is seen as a lifelong condition.

3.5.2.4

Mental Health Act 2001 (Act 615)

The Mental Health Act 2001 was regulated in 2001, but it only took effect in 2010 when the Mental Health Regulation 2010 was enforced. This Act serves as a foundation for the complete treatment of people with mental problems. It offers provisions for the establishment of community mental health centres, private and public hospitals, and nursing homes for psychiatric patients (Khan & Ho, 2015). Nevertheless, the Act lacks some provisions that offer due protection and welfare for those with mental illness. Additionally, the meaning and categories of mental illness have also not been clearly defined. These provisions are significant in providing the guidelines

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and knowledge so that the public can understand the realities, and the rights of those who are suffering from mental illness. There has also been claims that the Malaysian Mental Health Act does not comply with the United Nations (UN) universal right which exercises legal competence as stated in Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities since the Malaysian Act still lacks a tribunal mechanism (Raaj et al., 2021). When the Malaysian Mental Health Act 2001 was developed, little thought was given to the obligations imposed by the international human rights legislation of the United Nations. In this regard, a mental health tribunal is necessary because it serves as a legal framework which can be used to protect people who must get treatment as required by national law and international human rights’ norms.

3.5.2.5

Penal Code (Act 574)

In the case of attempted suicides among people with mental health issues, Malaysia’s legal punishment may be seen as severe. According to the Malaysian Penal Code (Section 309), committing suicide is an offence. Anyone caught in such acts can be penalised even if it is not a complete commission of an offence. Despite the formulation of Section 309 which was based on the justifications to preserve the sanctity of human life, and to deter future suicidal attempts, there were remarks that the punishment imposed by Section 309 seemed inhumane and unreasonable (Choong & Fung, 2020; Jayasingam et al., 2020; Li, 2020; Ming, 2022). This criticism was based on the fact that those suffering from mental illness grieve in silence. Meanwhile, in the eye of medical professionals, the “act of attempting to take one’s own life is akin to a cry for help” (NSTtv, August 26, 2018). Premised on the notion that these people require treatment more than punishment, it is hereby argued that those who attempted suicide should not be punished. Nobody commits a crime such as felony for no reason. Typically, individuals are enmeshed in a stressful situation, and when they are unable to manage their feelings, they resort to other methods such as taking their lives because they may believe that death is the only option left. In this regard, penalising people who attempted suicide due to mental illness is not helping the law to accomplish what it intends to in the first place. By penalising victims, the law could be adding to the victims’ stress, with a higher possibility that they may continue to attempt to take their own lives (Ming, 2022). In other words, neither imprisonment nor the imposition of punishment constitutes a genuine resolution. Instead, these conditions would only cause those to commit the act even more. Since the causes of attempted suicide have not been adequately addressed, the situation worsens suffering and agony. Thus, it is only appropriate for the authority to take into account all aspects of the public interest so as to ensure that justice is carried out. It is even more important to provide the victims of Section 309, the chance to seek assistance. This is because under these situations, medical professionals, specifically, psychiatrists, are the ones most appropriate for helping those victims (Choong & Fung, 2020).

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3.5.2.6

3 Don’t Struggle in Silence: Let the Laws Do Their Part

Mental Health Policies

Apart from the above statutes, Malaysia has also developed policies on mental health. The Malaysian Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), under the Ministry of Human Resource, had implemented the Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health in 1996. The Guidelines defined stress; they also emphasized the need to provide a comfortable work atmosphere in order to lessen employees’ feelings of stress and exhaustion. Following this, the National Mental Health Policy was implemented in 1998 (revised in 2012). Among the goals listed were, “to provide a basis from which to develop strategy and direction for all involved in health and mental health planning, and for the implementation to improve the mental health and well-being of the entire population”. Healthcare providers in hospitals and policy makers were further guided by the Psychiatric and Mental Health Services Operational Policy 2011 which states the requirements, operations, and development of the psychiatric services provided in hospitals and health clinics (Ministry of Health, 2011). Recently, the National Mental Health Strategic Plan was set up to be implemented for five (5) years, from 2020 to 2025. It aspires to be a useful guide to all stakeholders in the mental health care and services (Ministry of Health, 2020). Despite all these, there is no comprehensive provision on mental illness sufferers’ protection within these legal regimes. No specific policy on workers’ mental health following the COVID-19 pandemic was ever initiated. Nonetheless, several efforts to release the symptoms of stress among society were introduced by the Ministry of Health. It collaborated with the Malaysian Medical Relief Society (MERCY) in providing psychosocial support helpline services for stress victims. This service was set up by the MOH at the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) from 25 March 2020. Another measure taken by the MOH was its collaboration with the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), and the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM). Helplines called the KSK Care (JAKIM), and KASIH Line (KPWKM) were set up. Last but not least, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Service (MHPSS) was also provided for target groups at hospitals and health clinics. Subsequently, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin launched the “Package People’s Protection and Economic Recovery (RECOVER)” move which aimed to help people badly affected by the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy also aimed to lessen the employers’ burden caused by the devastating effects of the pandemic. Besides the contribution of foods to the local population, the policy also provides financial assistance to individuals and businesses. Individuals who belonged to the target group received the Bantuan Sara Hidup (subsistence allowance). To facilitate cash flow, businesses that were affected, especially the Tourism Sector, were also allowed to defer monthly tax instalments and income. A temporary discount of six (6) months taxes were given (15%), followed by discounts on monthly electricity bills, Levy exemptions from Tabung Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Berhad as well as service tax exemptions for hotels. Pursuant to the Guidelines for Media Reporting on Suicide 2021 as issued by the Ministry of Health’s Control Division on suicidal behaviours caused by the growing

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trend of suicidal cases provoked by mental illnesses, the Malaysian government also banned the media from publishing any information about suicidal incidents without proper screening of its validity. In addition to that, the community was also strictly prohibited from sharing or spreading any social media photos or videos of people who committed suicide. This was to respect the feelings of the victim’s family. It is expected that the restriction imposed on the social media sharing policy can reduce the suicidal tragedy as the social media trend can provoke “copycat suicide” among vulnerable individuals (Talib & Abdullah, 2020).

3.5.3 Concluding Remark—Wakeup Call for Malaysia It is worth noting that the statutes discussed above were drafted before the emergence of the pandemic and epidemic. The superficial scan was just a visit to view how the mental health illnesses were less commonly detected because there were less incidents then. As a result, some of the archaic provisions were thus impractical for today’s times and situations, particularly when the deterioration of mental health is more prevalent. Indeed, those statutes should be reformed and updated so as to fulfill the current demands when addressing mental health conditions. Some efforts conducted is evidenced by the new amendments made to the existing statues, such as the EA 1955 and OSHA 1994. However, these legal regimes only focused on workforce. Undeniably, there is an urgent need to enhance the laws governing mental health protection among the general public. Likewise, the prevalence of mental health among employees is also a wakeup call for Malaysia. The country needs to be a more compassionate society by eradicating the negative perceptions associated with mental illness. It also has the duty to defend the rights of the affected individuals and their families. Malaysia certainly needs to look at the mental illness condition within the country in a broader perspective rather than just treating it as a health issue. Since Malaysia has not attained its status as a developed nation with a robust legal system and a high level of awareness for mental illness, it has to commence by raising more awareness within its society. Nevertheless, there is evidence that some organisations have made some efforts to address the mental health issues faced by their employees. Stigma is still part of the social disgrace of mental illness, hence the government and the society at large is responsible for diluting this association. It is time for Malaysia to amend the existing legal provisions by replicating the provisions of more developed countries, either as a stand-alone law or as a part of the general health act.

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3.6 The United Kingdom’s Approach This section focuses on the legal approaches of the English law in dealing with the protection of mental health issues, particularly from the context of the employeremployee relationship at the workplace. Generally, the common law had established a binding principle that imposes a reasonable duty of care on the employers to protect their employees from workplace injury (Stokes v Guest, Keen, and Nettlefold (Bolts and Nuts) Ltd [1968]). Due to the nature of the job relationship, this responsibility arose under the law of negligence, and as an implied provision of the employment contract. The employers’ liability was extended to cover psychiatric injury in later court decisions (Walker v Northumberland County Council [1995]; Hatton v Sutherland [2002]). The scope of injury to feeling was clarified so as to include “upset, frustration, worry, anxiety, mental distress, fear, grief, anguish, humiliation, unhappiness, depression and so on” (Mummery LJ, in Vento v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire [2003]). The test derived from the case of Hatton pertaining to employers’ duty to protect employees’ mental health is worth noting. Firstly, employers have an ordinary duty of care towards employees’ injuries. Secondly, in order to be held liable, an injury is foreseeable to the employer, whether it is injury to health or attributable to stress in the workplace. Last but not least, whether anything was foreseeable or not hinges on what the employer knew, or should have known, about the specific employee. Due to the nature of the mental illness, it is thus more difficult to predict than physical harm. However, it may be simpler to do so in a known individual than among the general population. Unless the employer is aware of a specific issue or vulnerability, he often has his rights to presume that the employee can handle the regular stresses of the work. The test was applied generally in all types of employment based on the ground that “occupations which should be regarded as intrinsically dangerous to mental health” (Hatton v Sutherland [2002]). Hatton’s case was a leading case in this area. It was claimed as “a valuable contribution to the development of the law” (Lord Walker, Barber v Somerset County Council [2004]). Apart from the case laws, the UK also has a bunch of legal provisions that protect employees and their mental health wellbeing at the workplace. The following are among the relevant ones. It is beyond the aim of this chapter to discuss in detail all the provisions mentioned. Thus, these elaborations will only focus on the most pertinent ones. To a certain extent, the explanation illustrates some of the case-laws which are applicable to those statutes.

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3.6.1 Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Health and Safety at Work 1974 is a statute governing occupational health and safety requirements. The local act that parallels this provision is the OSHA 1994 mentioned above. Section 2 places a responsibility on employers to safeguard the employees’ health, safety, and welfare at work, to the extent that is reasonably practicable. This provision does not indicate that the employer must be responsible in all situations. There are several factors that can exempt an employer from liability in the sense that the level of risk in the workplace must be balanced against the “time, trouble, cost, and physical difficulty” of the employer’s efforts to reduce the risk (Anderson, 2003). This Section also states that the employer has the duty to decide what is reasonable, and practicable to warrant that the work environment be conducive for employees, and does not trigger excessive pressure caused by workplace stress. Should the employer fail to comply with Section 2, the burden is on the employer to prove before the court that the action was not reasonable or practicable under that particular situation. The Act is originally regulated to reduce physical harm with a slight focus on psychological harm. However, by virtue of a landmark case in 1994 where an employee suffered due to stress-related illness caused by work pressure, he was successfully awarded damages of £175,000. It is obvious that this Act also applies to mental health (Anderson, 2003; Walker v Northumberland County Council, [1995]).

3.6.1.1

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 took effect in 1993. It is also referred to as the “Management Regulations”. By virtue of the Regulations, employers are primarily responsible for conducting “risk assessments” on the health and safety of their employees. They must also act to mitigate such risks (Regulation 3), designate qualified individuals to manage workplace health and safety, educate workers on occupational health and safety issues, provide them with training, and implement a formal health and safety plan. It is to be noted that Malaysia adopted almost the same approach in the new Employment Act (Amendment) 2022 by inserting the requirement of “risk assessment” employment (Section 18(B)(1)). The aforementioned requirement is applied by employers to evaluate the scope and nature of health risks at the workplace, and to ensure that the necessary control measures are in place. These precautions include stress-inducing risks, and other workplace hazards which show that the act specifically addresses workplace mental health and wellbeing (King v Medical Services International Ltd, [2012]; Mullen v Accenture Services Ltd, [2010]).

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3.6.2 The Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996) The Employment Rights Act 1996 lay down the law related to employees’ rights in employment-matters such as dismissal, unfair dismissal, paternity leave, maternity leave, and redundancy. The local act which resembles the above coverage is the Employment Act, 1955. Among the protection provided by ERA, 1996 for employees is Section 44 which provides, inter alia, that employees are protected from being penalised by the employers for not coming to work if the employees have a reasonable belief that they are in “serious and imminent danger”. This protection is frequently invoked by employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. The employees shall submit a detrimental claim against the employers if the employers have sanctioned them for their absence (due to the “serious and imminent danger”) reason, during the pandemic. This clause may be expanded to include gig economy employees in public service or customer-facing positions. Thus, employees can benefit from this provision since it gives them a leeway to submit their claims based on detrimental grounds as opposed to claim under unfair dismissal which is not applicable under this situation.

3.6.3 The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 Under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, employers are obliged to facilitate employees by providing the first aid equipment in the event of injuries. In view of the pandemic which had increased the level of stress at work in 2019, the above requirement was urged to cover mental illness health as well. It was proposed that employers must also take care of their employees’ mental health by providing not only information and training about mental illness, but also to hire professional health services, support programmes, and first aiders (Health Safety Executive, 2019). It is fundamental that the employees be adequately educated about these resources so that they may easily seek for assistance when required. Malaysia has no specific act which exclusively focuses on the issue of mental illness of employees at the workplace. However, efforts to enhance such provisions can be seen in the recent Employment Act (Amendment) 2022.

3.6.4 Equality Act 2010 Employees with mental health illness may qualify as disabled under the Equality Act of 2010 which protects against discrimination on the basis of disability. Individuals are classified under disability if they suffered “physical or mental impairment, and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities” (Section 6(1)(b), Equality Act 2010).

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The Equality Act of 2010, which has been recognised as a trailblazing and proactive tool, has enabled the integration of disability equality into services and public activities (Lawson & Orchart, 2021). It is asserted that the Equality Act’s protections are more comprehensive when compared to other legal provisions (Almond et al., 2022). The Act imposes the duty of the employer to make a reasonable adjustment when dealing with employees. However, in reality, it is not easy for employees to invoke this protection due to some technicalities, such as inadequacy and ambiguity of medical support. Some instances can be retrieved from the decisions made by the first instance tribunals and courts. For example, it was questioned whether a disorder as widely known as schizophrenia fits the requirement (Goodwin v. The Patent Office [1999]); Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Lewisham v. Malcolm ([2008]). These choices were often made as a result of the requirement to demonstrate both the presence of impairment and its effects, as specified by Section 6(1)(b). This inquiry is always posed in order to satisfy the condition of the presence of the impairment and its effect as specified in Section 6. The same approach is applied in the case of anxiety. In Woodrup v London Borough of Southwark [2003], an employee produced proof of the history of treatment for anxiety neurosis, including continued twice-weekly psychotherapy throughout seven (7) years. She asserted that if she did not have treatment, her mental condition would worsen. However, the Court of Appeal affirmed a decision that she was not incapacitated on the grounds that there was inadequate medical support for determining the impact of ceasing her psychotherapy. The decision demonstrated the court’s restrictive approach in accepting the unambiguous evidence which was typical in mental health diagnosis. In J v DLA Piper UK LLP [2010], a job offered to a claimant employee was cancelled after she disclosed her history of depression. She had to fulfill the statutory criterion of disability before it could be decided whether this amounted to unlawful discrimination. It was acknowledged that she had depression on many occasions, between 2005 and 2007, but there was disagreement among doctors on whether she was depressed once again in 2008 or whether her bad mood was a negative reaction to issues at work. According to Underhill J, drawing such differences can be difficult. This problem is worsened by the broad use of the terminology like “depression” (whether clinical or not), “anxiety”, and “stress” as used by the layman, and some medical professionals. Although stress is one of the most common causes for absenteeism, it could be challenged when aiming to identify how it goes beyond being a phenomenon experienced by employees. This usage tends to fall into the grey area set out in Section 6. A prolonged duration of illness is sufficient to signal to the employer that the worker has a disability. In Gallop v Newport City Council [2013], the employee was diagnosed with anxiety and depression caused by work-related stress. Despite the fact that the condition lasted for three (3) years, the occupational health adviser came to the conclusion that he was not entitled to statutory protection, and thus, the employer proceeded accordingly. The Court of Appeal dissented with this standpoint, highlighting that “the employer must not forget that it is still he, the employer, who has to make the factual judgement as to whether the employee is or is not

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disabled: he cannot simply rubber stamp the adviser’s opinion that he is not”. Thus, the employer must not take for granted or rely solely on the occupational health adviser’s recommendation. Instead, he must use his independent judgement to decide. The statement is also consistent with Hale LJ in Hatton’s case where the judge states: Some things are no-one’s fault. No-one can blame an employee who tries to soldier on despite his own desperate fears that he cannot cope, perhaps especially where those fears are groundless. No-one can blame an employee for being reluctant to give clear warnings to his employer of the stress he is feeling. His very job, let alone his credibility or hopes of promotion, may be at risk. Few would blame an employee for continuing or returning to work despite the warnings of his doctor that he should give it up. There are many reasons why the job may be precious to him.

The aforementioned remark appears to have given new light and hope to employees who suffer from mental illness by reducing the complexity of providing evidences to prove their condition against employers who deliberately ignore their concerns and attempts to exclude liability. The Malaysian act that resembles the Equality Act 2010 is the Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 as discussed above. Its coverage is not as in-depth as the Equality Act 2010, and most of the provisions are advisory in nature rather than mandatory enforcement. This reality supports the notion that the acknowledgment of disability rights in Malaysia appears to stem from compassionate concerns rather than from an inherent right (Dr. Tiun Ling Ta, the President of the Association of Disabled Members of Malaysia, Relate Malaysia, n.d., 2022).

3.6.5 Mental Health Act 2007 Following a protracted and difficult reform process that lasted for most of the preceding 15 years, this Act is now in effect. As a consequence of the social and political pressure driving the reform process as well as growing public concerns about the treatment of the mentally ill, one of the main focuses of the 2007 Act is the issue of the risk posed by the patient, particularly to others. This Act offers persons who are suffering from mental disorders both voluntary and required care and treatment. It also outlines the duties, obligations, and powers that permit or require people to act in the care and treatment of those who have mental illness. A significant difference between this Act and the Mental Health Act Malaysia is that the former explicitly provides definitions and categories of mental disorders whereas the latter offers no such provision.

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3.6.6 The Coronavirus Act 2020 The Coronavirus Act 2020 is an extensive piece of legislation that was enforced in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The Act includes a mechanism which encourages people and communities to take care of themselves, their families, and loved ones, and the larger community. This Act has been given a two-year lifespan to make sure that its powers are accessible for a suitable amount of time, and no more than that (Department of Health, UK). This Act aims to lessen the pressure as well as to protect the mental wellbeing of individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some flexible approaches have been enforced by this Act for those social care professionals (Burn & Mudholkar, 2020). For instance, the number of approved doctors required to complete the Mental Health Act assessment has been reduced to one (1) instead of two (2). In addition, six (6) months of adjournment was given to face-to-face medico-legal hearings to limit the spread of COVID-19, and to give some space for tribunals to ideally sort up their workloads. In the last few years before renewal was due, psychiatrists who want to maintain their Section 12 and Approved Clinician (AC) status would typically, have to do a face-to-face refresher course. The period of renewal for Section 12 and AC re-approval has been extended by another 12 months. Meanwhile, online training programmes have also been approved. Apart from the statutory provisions stated above, the UK has adopted other supportive measures for mental illness. The following illustrates.

3.6.7 Independent Mental Health Advocates The Independent Mental Health Advocates (IMHA) was introduced in 2009. It offers advocacy services for patients subject to community treatment orders, guardianship or detention (Hale, 2007). The IMHA’s responsibility is to make sure that patients are aware of their legal rights, the legal rights of others under the Act, any restrictions imposed on them, and the types of treatment that may be administered to them. IMHAs are allowed to visit and interview patients as well, and in some cases, have access to pertinent medical and social care documents in order to carry out their duties (Barber et al., 2012; Hale, 2007). Additionally, they have the option of seeing and speaking with any medical experts involved in the patient’s care (Hale, 2007). So far, there is no such practice which offers advocacy services to patients with mental illness in Malaysia. This lacuna proves that Malaysia is still far behind in the independent mental health support and welfare offered to mental illness patients. Instead, there are non-government associations that are involved in such services. The most active one among these is the Mental Illness Awareness and Support Association (MIASA) which is community based. Its objective is to create awareness about the importance of mental illness so as to give support to mental health sufferers, peers, and caregivers.

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3.6.8 Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) offers stressed employees access to expert counselling services as a means to assist with their recovery and rehabilitation. EAPs assist in integrating leadership services to employees by addressing the psychological, psychosocial, and occupational behavioural issues that influence their employment, well-being, and productivity (Bickford, 2005; Matlhape, 2003; Van Wyk, 2011). Many companies in neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Australia have already included EAP as a health benefit for their workforce as they realise the potential of their employees. As far as Malaysia is concerned, such approach is not regulated. However, Section 15 (2) of the Occupational Safety & Health Act, 1994 provides support to the implementation of the EAP in Malaysia (Azmi et al., 2021). Among the Malaysian companies which have adopted the EAP programme are Shell, TM Malaysia, and Citibank (Azmi et al., 2021; The Star, August 30, 2021). Apart from the practices seen in the UK, approaches from other developed countries are also worth benchmarking. For instance, it is worth looking at the legal position taken by the United States in establishing a Mental Health Court to help mentally ill offenders. Such courts are the assimilation of legal and medical professionals working in tandem to assist these groups of people. In the meantime, the experiences of Singapore on the legislation amendment may also be a relevant guide. Taking effect on 1 January 2020, attempted suicides are no longer a crime in Singapore. Rather, an abettor with mens rea who assisted another in suicidal attempts will be punished, with ten (10) years imprisonment and a fine. Another positive approach is demonstrated by the Australian courts. The legal principle that Australian employers owe a non-delegable duty of care towards their employees’ physical injury (Wilson & Pender, 2021; Koehler v. Cerebos Ltd [2005]) has been extended to encompass psychiatric injury. Majority of the High Court in the leading case has upheld that, it is a “well-established principle that an employer owes an employee a duty to take all reasonable means to create a safe system of work” (Eaton v TriCare (Country) Pty Ltd [2016]; YZ (a pseudonym) v The Age Co Ltd [2019]; ‘YZ’ [2020] VSC 78).

3.7 Conclusion There is no warranty that the pandemic may not return in the future, and sufferers will still go through the same impact if there is no proper preparation or any appropriate plans made to counter the crisis. Mental preparation and good self-care are important so as to avoid prolonged stress symptoms during such crises. Making preparations would help people and employees to face these crises, and so further prevent any occurrences of mental disharmony such as anxiety disorder and depression.

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The effect of the COVID-19 is not confined to the medical aspects only. It has also caused significant impacts on the economy, and people’s daily routines. Therefore, efforts to curb the growing trend of mental illness caused by the effect of unemployment, job crises and financial burdens must be addressed by the government, particularly at the workplace. The time has come when mental illness should no longer be perceived as a personal problem in the workplace. There is a need for employers to treat employees with mental illness issues equally as those having a physical illness. Although no one can be a mental health specialist in order to be responsible for the employees’ mental health nonetheless, everyone should be aware of its importance. In order to be more visible, signposts for help can be posted at the workplace, or employers can encourage employees with mental health issues to have open dialogues in a conducive atmosphere. It goes without saying that support for employees must be initiated not only by employers, but also by the employees who need to develop a culture that is transparent, open, and inclusive, where making errors is acceptable. This would put them at ease. Developing and implementing workplace mental health strategies would thus, be an evolutionary journey. Indeed, the law plays an important role in curbing negative tragedies resulting from severe mental illness. Suicide should be dealt with by realistic and practical laws. Apart from the role of law, it is the duty of the court to ensure the public interest is best served. Yet, there is still a great deal of space for change and progress in this field of law. Till then, for all mental illness sufferers out there, know your rights! Do not struggle in silence, let the laws do their part!!

References Almond, P., Horton, R., & James, G. (2022). Mental health and wellbeing at work in the UK: Current legal approaches. Legal Studies, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1017/lst.2022.16 Anderson, R. (2003). Stress at work: The current perspective. Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, 123(2), 81–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/146642400312300211 Asmundson, G. J., & Taylor, S. (2020). How health anxiety influences responses to viral outbreaks like COVID-19: What all decision-makers, health authorities, and health care professionals need to know. Journal of anxiety disorders, 71, 102211. Azmi, R., Ahmad, S. N. S., & Mustafa, B. A. (2021). Mental health issues at workplace: An overview of law and policy in Malaysia and United Kingdom (UK). International Journal of Law, Government and Communication, 6(22), 95–108. https://doi.org/10.35631/ijlgc.622009 Barber, P., Brown, R., & Martin, D. (2012). Mental health law in England and Wales: A guide for mental health professionals. Learning Matters. Bell, M. (2016). Mental health, law, and creating inclusive workplaces. Current Legal Problems, 69(1), 1–34. Bevan, S. (2010, April). The business case for employee health and wellbeing. Workfoundationorg, 36. http://workfoundation.org/assets/docs/publications/245_iip270410.pdf Bhatt, J. K. (2015, November). Pregnancy and materity entitlement under the 1955 emplaoment act—Are women workers in Malaysia being short changed? Malayan Law Journal Articles, 23, 25. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284725599_PREGNANCY_AND_MATERN ITY_ENTITLEMENTS_UNDER_THE_EMPLOYMENT_ACT_1955_-_ARE_WOMEN_ WORKERS_IN_MALAYSIA_BEING_SHORT-CHANGED

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Bickford, M. (2005). Stress in the workplace: A general overview of the causes, the effects, and the solutions. Toronto: Canadian Mental Health Association Newfoundland and Labrador Division. Burn, W., & Mudholkar, S. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on mental health: Update from the United Kingdom. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 62(Suppl 3), S365. Carvalho, M., Sivanandam, H., & Shagar, L. K. (2018, July 30). Health minister: Some 4.2mil Malaysians living with mental health issues. The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/ 2018/07/30/health-minister-some-42mil-malaysians-living-with-mental-health-issues Choong, D. T. C., & Fung, M. C. P. (2020). Reconciliation of law and medicine with reference made to section 309 penal code [2020] 5 MLJ lxxxi. Malayan Law Journal Articles, 5(1), 0–10. https://advance-lexis-com.ezproxy.um.edu.my/document/?pdmfid=1522468&crid=42cb6a800638-425c-b496-b22720f78af7&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fanalytical-mat erials-my%2Furn%3AcontentItem%3A613H-4X11-DY89-M12K-00000-00&pdcontentcom ponentid=235220&pddo Coats, D., & Lekhi, R. (2008). ‘Good work’: Job quality in a changing economy. Work Foundation. Department of Statistics, Malaysia. (2020). Report of special survey on effects of COVID-19 on economy & individual - round 1. (n.d.). Department of Statistic Malaysia Official Portal. Retrieved January 3, 2022, from https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cone&menu_id=d3p nMXZ4ZHJjUnpnYjNyUnJhek83dz09 Drafting Committee for the Psychiatric and Mental Health Services Operational Policy and the Medical Services Unit of the Medical Services Development Section, Medical Development Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia. (2011, November). Psychiatry and mental health services operational policies. Ministry of Health Malaysia. Retrieved April 5, 2021, from https://www. moh.gov.my/moh/images/gallery/Polisi/PSYCHIATRY_OPERATIONAL_POLICY.pdf Galea, S., Merchant, R. M., & Lurie, N. (2020). The mental health consequences of COVID-19 and physical distancing: The need for prevention and early intervention. JAMA Internal Medicine, 180(6), 817–818. Ganesh, C. S., & Krishnan, R. (2016). A review of occupational injury research in Malaysia. Medical Journal of Malaysia, 71(June), 100–104. Grover, S., Dua, D., Sahoo, S., Mehra, A., Nehra, R., & Chakrabarti, S. (2020). Why all COVID-19 hospitals should have mental health professionals: The importance of mental health in a worldwide crisis! Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 51(April), 102147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102147 Hale, B. (2007). Justice and equality in mental health law: The European experience. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 30(1), 18–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlp.2006.08.004 Hana Naz Harun. (August 26, 2022). Implementation of amended Employment Act 1955 deferred to Jan 1. New Strait Times. https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2022/08/825887/implementationamended-employment-act-1955-deferred-jan-1 Health Safety Executive (HSE). (2019). Health and safety at work summary statistics for great Britain 2019. References - Scientific Research Publishing. https://www.scirp.org/(S(351jmbntvnsjt1aadkposzje))/reference/referencespapers.aspx?referenceid=2974784 IPSOS. (2022). Two years on: Lessons from Covid times. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https:// www.ipsos.com/en-my/two-years-lessons-covid-times IPSOS Malaysia. (2021). Press release: Pandemic’ S impact on 28-country ipsos survey for the world economic forum. World Economic Forum, 1–7. Jayasingam, S., Omar, S., Mustamil, N. M., Hashim, R. C., & Bakar, R. A. (2020). “Well-Being in the Workplace: Sustaining our efforts”. Supporting and sustaining well-being in the workplace: Insights from a developing economy (pp. 207–212). Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley. Khan, N. N., & Ho, R. C. (2015). Malaysian mental health law. BJPsych International, 12(2), 40–42. Lawson, A., & Orchard, M. (2021). The anticipatory reasonable adjustment duty: Removing the blockages? The Cambridge Law Journal, 80(2), 308–337. Li, L. W. (2020). The pandemic: A greater call for the reformation of the law on attempted suicide? 03, 1–11.

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Mallow, M. S. (2016, May). Occupational stress in Malaysia: Causes, effects and possible solutions. Proceedings of SOCIOINT 2016 3rd international conference on education, social sciences and humanities, 82–88. Matlhape, M. (2003). Strategic positioning of EAP in SA workplace. Wits Health (Vol. 3). Ming, K. F. (2022). Section 309 of the penal code: To stay or to abolish? 1 MLJ i. Mohamed, A. A. A., Jan, M. N. I., Ahmad, M. H., & Hussain, S. (2018, September). Occupational stress and the laws in selected jurisdictions. The Turkish Online Journal of Design, Art and Communication (TOJDAC), (Special Edition), 3027–3039. http://irep.iium.edu.my/66912/ Parameshvara, M. (2004). Malaysia mental health country profile. International Review of Psychiatry, 16(1–2), 167–176. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540260310001635203 Raaj, S., Navanathan, S., Tharmaselan, M., & Lally, J. (2021). Mental disorders in Malaysia: An increase in lifetime prevalence. BJPsych International, 18(4), 97–99. https://doi.org/10.1192/bji. 2021.4 Royal Malaysian Police. (2021, August 2). #PPN #COVID-9 ARTIKEL PILIHAN: KES BUNUH DIRI MEMBIMBANGKAN. https://www.rmp.gov.my/news-detail/2021/08/02/ppn-covid-9-art ikel-pilihan-kes-bunuh-diri-membimbangkan Safari, I. N. M., Kassim, N., Iskandar, N. F., Mohamed, M. H., & Abdullah, M. Y. H. (2011, October). Tahap Pengetahuan Mengenai Kesihatan Mental dalam Kalangan Pelajar Institut Pengajian Tinggi Awam (IPTA): Kajian Kes di UKM, Bangi(Level of knowledge on mental health among IPTA students. Jurnal Personalia Pelajar, Bil 14, 37–44. Talib, N. A. F. H., & Abdullah, H. (2020). Persepsi Masyarakat dan Pesakit Terhadap Kesihatan Mental. Jurnal Wacana Sarjana, 4(1), 1–13. http://spaj.ukm.my/jws/index.php/jws/article/vie w/261 The Star. (2021, August 30). Citi Malaysia offers employees extended Covid-19 medical benefits. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2021/ 08/30/citi-malaysia-offers-employees-extended-covid-19-medical-benefits Van Wyk, A. A. (2011). An impact assessment of a critical incident on the psychosocial functioning and work performance of an employee (Doctoral dissertation, South Africa, University of Pretoria). Walsh, R. (2011). Lifestyle and mental health. American Psychologist, 66(7), 579–592. https://doi. org/10.1037/a0021769 Watch out for signs of depression among loved ones, Nor Ain Mohamed Radhi – June 29, 2021 [EXCLUSIVE] Attempting suicide is a cry for help (NSTTV) Aliza Shah – August 26, 2018 @ 9:07am, The New Strait Times. https://www.nst.com.my/news/exclusive/2018/08/404923/exclus ive-attempting-suicide-cry-help-nsttv Wilson, J., & Pender, K. (2021). Contractual, tortious and statutory? The employer’s duty to provide a safe workplace. [2021] 1 LNS(A) xxxi Legal network series 1. 1–15. Yeap, R., & Low, W. Y. (2009). Mental health knowledge, attitude and help-seeking tendency: A Malaysian context. Singapore Medical Journal, 50(12), 1169–1176.

Cases Barber v. Somerset County Council | [2004] 1 WLR 1089 Eaton v TriCare (Country) Pty Ltd [2016] QCA 139). Gallop v Newport City Council ([2013] EWCA Civ 1583) Goodwin v. The Patent Office [1999] IRLR 4 (EAT) Hatton v Sutherland [2002] EWCA Civ 76 J v DLA Piper UK LLP [2010] IRLR 936 King v Medical Services International Ltd [2012] All ER (D) 27 (Apr) Koehler v. Cerebos Ltd [2005] HCA 15-222 CLR 44 Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Lewisham v. Malcolm ([2008] 4 All ER 525 (HL)

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Mohd Ridzwan Abdul Razak v Asmah Hj Mohd Nor [2016] ((Civil Appeal No: 01(f)-13– 06/2013(W) Mohd Zakir Yusoff v Telarix (M) Sdn Bhd ([2020] 2 LNS 0829 Mullen v Accenture Services Ltd [2010] EWHC 2336 (QB) Stokes v Guest, Keen and Nettlefold (Bolts and Nuts) Ltd (1968) 1 WLR 1776 Tharmabalan Suppiah Velliah v. MSL Travel Sdn Bhd [2019] (Award No. 3081 of 2019) Vento v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire [2003] IRLR 102] Walker v Northumberland County Council [1995] 1 All ER 737 William Jacks & Co (M) Bhd v. S. Balasingam [1997] 3 CLJ 235 Woodrup v London Borough of Southwark ([2003] IRLR 111 (CA) YZ (a pseudonym) v The Age Co Ltd (2019) 258 IR 58; [2019] VCC 148, [2] (‘YZ’); [2020] VSC 78 (19 February 2020)

Statutes Employment Act 1955 (Act 265) Equality Act 2010 Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Mental Health Act 2001 (Act 615) Mental Health Act 2007 Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514) Penal Code (Act 574) Person with Disabilities Act 2008 (Act 685) The Coronavirus Act 2020 The Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996) The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Chapter 4

Will It Ever Go Back to Normal? Working Since the Pandemic: The Changes, Struggles, Supports, and Hopes

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the working world dramatically (Lund et al. in The future of work after COVID-19, McKinsey Global Institute, 2021). The future of work after COVID-19. McKinsey Global Institute. https://www.theedgemarkets.com/content/advertise/prioritisingemployees-holistic-wellbeing-workforce-returns-office). Millions experienced lost or reduced income. An already stressful work life exacerbated due to sudden change in work style, such as work from home (WFH) and digitalization. Elusive standard operating procedures (SOPs) taken by the government have added to workers’ burden. Although WFH had some benefits, workers were struggling as depression and anxieties set in, stemming from minimal grace period for performance, and threatened job security. Due to job insecurity, people were also working harder. According to social exchange theory, there is a voluntary expectation of returns (such as by working harder), when workers think they have received some support, even when not stipulated in advance (Blau in Exchange and power in social life. John Wiley & Sons, 1964; Homans, Social behavior and its elementary forms, Harcourt, 1961). This chapter discusses how work has changed since the outbreak of COVID19, in the context of Malaysia. The struggles workers faced during the pandemic are disclosed. It is followed by suggestions and coping mechanisms in which the government, organizations, and workers employ to alleviate the various disruptions experienced during the pandemic. The women experiences during these unexpected times are further illustrated. The chapter closes on how people can work and live in co-existence with the virus.

4.1 Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the working world dramatically (Lund et al., 2021). The immediate consequences are devastating, with millions of people around the world losing their source of income, with some having their regular salaries deducted proportionately. Many people had to undergo financial hardships. The pandemic has transformed the working trend which has been unprecedented in many organizations. Hiccups were experienced, and the situation of an already stressful © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 R. Abu Bakar et al., Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Employee Well-being, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0432-7_4

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work life has become more exacerbated due to a change in work trends. Among this is the WFH policy. In this regard, employees had to remain resilient so that their transition is seamless. Employees also had to adapt to the revolutionized workplace. Prior to the pandemic, organizations and workers have had to face uncertainties and ambiguities in their daily work processes, but with the pandemic, the burden is further compounded by the elusive standard operating procedures (SOPs) taken by the government in containing the pandemic. Although working from home had some benefits, employees were struggling to survive as depression and anxieties set in. These feelings had stemmed from various triggers, such as minimal grace period for performance, and threatened job security when the transition set in. As the insecurity heightened, employees were also forced to perform better so that they get to keep their jobs. According to the social exchange theory, there is a voluntary expectation of returns (such as by working harder), when employees think they have received some kind of support, even if this had not been stipulated in advance (Blau, 1964; Homans, 1961). This chapter aims to discuss how work has changed since the outbreak of COVID-19, particularly in the context of Malaysia. The chapter also strives to disclose the struggles which employees faced during the pandemic. It is then followed by the recommendation of some coping mechanisms which the government, organizations, and employees can employ so as to alleviate the various disruptions experienced during the pandemic. Some suggestions which can be undertaken are also provided. The experiences of the women folks during these unexpected times are further illustrated. The chapter closes with a section on how people can work and live by co-existing with the virus.

4.2 World of Work Since the Pandemic: Case of Malaysia It is safe to say that most business operations and travels came to a halt when the pandemic intensified. According to the Ministry of Human Resource (MOHR), as many as 100,000 people in Malaysia had lost their jobs and incomes (Tan et al., 2020). The hospitality, entertainment, tourism, and aviation industry were the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic while people with high economical risks, low educational levels, and those who were self-employed became even more vulnerable (Rahman et al., 2020). The unanticipated loss of jobs and incomes had caused many people to be unprepared. Many, due to the lack of income, began accumulating debts which could not be repaid. To help the citizens, the government of Malaysia through the Central Bank of Malaysia implemented the moratorium as a way to help the citizens. The repayments of loans were postponed and extended. The exercise was introduced in 2020 and 2021 when there was a surge in COVID-19 cases which badly affected the economy (Annuar, 2020; Bank Negara Malaysia, n.d.). Despite the delay in repayments being granted, loan interests continued to be charged during the moratorium. In other words, the sum of loans would be further expanded with the accumulation of additional loan interests. This means that the moratorium was merely to delay payments rather than to eliminate payments. The pandemic had induced low market

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demands, and business operations were either scaled-back or completely closed. This had inevitably, led to mass lay-offs, persisting financial issues, and so it triggered more financial burden for many people, thereby escalating anxieties and stress. People who were fortunate to keep their jobs were instructed to work from home (WFH). This “Working from home” concept was termed as the alternative working arrangement—it demanded shared responsibilities and commitment by both employers and employees so as to ensure business continuity (International Labour Organisation, 2020). During the strictest phases of the pandemic (multiple phases throughout 2020 and 2021) leading to the Movement Control Order (MCO), only essential industries were allowed to operate physically. Examples were those involved with food, water, energy, communication, healthcare, security and defense, and banking. The MCO would be amended, depending on the pandemic situations. Offices, institutions of learning, and schools were closed on multiple occasions. Depending on the pandemic situations, the labor force Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were then devised. These SOPs received many criticisms from the public because they were elusive and constantly changing. During this time, some employees were forced to accept pay-cuts or mandatory unpaid leave from their organizations as a cost-cutting measure to combat the economic turbulence which organizations were experiencing during the pandemic (Cheak & Kok, 2020; Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2021). In fact, the mean and median salary of the country dropped by 9% and 15.6% respectively, the first decline since 2010 (Lim, 2021), as illustrated in Fig. 4.1.

Fig. 4.1 Mean and Median Salary from 2015 to 2020 in Malaysia (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2021)

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4.3 Working from Home: The Positives, the Negatives, and the Struggles The pandemic has revolutionized the workplace, and the way people used to work before. Usual work processes were disrupted, resulting in many uncertainties and ambiguities in decision making and operations at work, and employees had little choice but to quickly adapt. The WFH concept, on a large scale, had been unprecedented in many organizations prior to the pandemic. For the first time in human history, meetings and huge scale of works were being performed remotely—something which many people did not think was possible. As a result, people termed this as the new norm, marking a new way of conducting one’s work. WFH has its upside, such as saving of commuting time, and costs to and back from office. The time saved for commuting can be spent with families, and friends on productive activities, or even for leisure (e.g., Poo, 2021). During the MCO, time spent with other members of the family became a norm. For many, it was the rare chance for families to spend valuable time together. This would not have been possible if it was not for WFH. The new norm seemed to have stimulated positive effects of strengthening family ties, and people attributed this to the pandemic. In a way, it served as a prefiguration to the future way of work as noted through the acceleration of digitalization. It appears that the WFH trend helped us all to revisit how work can be performed, to take time away from our “adherence” to work, and our “reluctance to change the way we work before”. The outcome of the WFH trend has actually made some employees weigh the cost of having a physical office, and the cost of conducting their work from there (Tredinnick & Laybats, 2020). The downside of the WFH is also visible. Due to its unanticipated and mandated nature, some employees were taken by surprise. They were not ready, especially during the early stages of the implementation. In some instance, the home conditions were not conducive for work (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2020; Xiao et al., 2020). More than half of the Malaysian employees had jobs that were not suitable for working from home or for being in high physical proximity with others. This was the most vulnerable group of the employees uncovered during the prolonged crisis (Rahman et al., 2020). The situation differed for others who could apply WFH even in their usual times (e.g., pre-Covid) since WFH can sometimes, cater to the individual’s respective circumstances. For instance, member(s) living together in a small house can choose to work from home or at a café. During the pandemic, huge portions of the population were forced to stay at home, and this means that several family members were working from home at the same time. This implies that each of them would require an appropriate space, but this may not be possible when the home space is limited. Members of poor families living in low-cost public housing can find the WFH concept difficult especially if the space is small (Teoh & Rodzi, 2020). According to the Member of Parliament (MP), Fahmi Fadzil, lowcost government flats are often densely populated, with each block comprising of 18 floors, and each floor containing 20 units, and each unit occupied by 2 to 12 people. A similar situation also applies to the unskilled foreign laborer who often choose to

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live in small spaces—such as sharing a 10sq m room, so as to save costs (Teoh & Rodzi, 2020). Evidently, these groups of employees would be living in fear because they all have a higher risk of contracting the virus, and infecting others within the same household. Clearly, they would be invariably exposed when one of them had to go outdoors to purchase groceries or other daily needs. Besides the confined spaces, those people working and staying in the same household may also be experiencing different work policies. For instance, as reported in The Straits Times on 29th March 2020, a father was allowed to practice WFH, but his son had to go outdoors because he was an employee of the postal services (Teoh & Rodzi, 2020). Since they both stayed under the same household, there is also a high possibility of the virus being transmitted to other member(s) of the same household. When this occurs, it becomes worrisome especially in the presence of elderly members and very young children. Such scenarios create anxieties and stress which actually soared during the MCO and the pandemic. Moreover, the learning curve for employees also varied (Rahman et al., 2020). The adaptation phase of the pandemic was a luxury for some, as seamlessness of work processes were crucial to ensure business continuity. But since the pandemic was an unexpected situation, there was not enough time and room to ensure the smooth adaptation of work. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 35% of the respondents indicated in a survey that there was a lack of guidelines for the WFH policy. This was due largely to the lack of technical support from employers (Tambou et al., 2021). WFH became especially hard for the non-tech savvy employees because they felt left out without having the proper tools such as Internet, or properly set up equipment that can help them to deliver their work smoothly from home. The imposition of WFH had all been too sudden since such technical needs were not required prior to the WFH policy. Nonetheless, even when employees were equipped with the technological tools, and had them set up duly, they still needed time to familiarize themselves with the work processes which were different from working on-site. As video conferencing became a trend, employees thus had to adjust themselves, unlike many multinational corporations which were used to video conferencing methods. Small organizations were thus, caught unexpectedly by the new demand, hence their employees had to learn quickly to get themselves familiarized with navigating digital tools. Another advancement of the digital transformation was in the use of local file servers to store and transfer files. Prior to the pandemic, this was a norm in Malaysia on the work sites. During the WFH order, companies needed alternative methods to replace the use of local file servers. This, of course posed a challenge to the less tech-savvy employees who needed to adapt to the new method. There were many hiccups when the WFH policy was implemented. When these traditional employees faced technical difficulties, there was no one physically present to help them resolve their difficulties. This problem was of course, an additional demand on the employees who needed to WFH. As such, employees’ efficiencies and productivities dropped. To compensate for the setbacks and hiccups faced since the pandemic, employees have to work more intensively.

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Another facet of working life during the pandemic can be traced to the deterioration of work-life quality involving blurred work life boundaries (Pluut & Wonders, 2020). This blurred line had heightened stress and affected the overall well-being of employees especially when employees had to make adjustments to their work and non-work hours. This invariably, disrupted their work, family, and social life (Hamid et al., 2021; Schieman et al., 2021). In particular, people who lived in relatively smaller housing units, for instance, in metropolitan cities where houses were expensive, were more negatively affected. The lack of space for their WFH duties can be challenging because of the intermingle between work and non-work domains. This can be a distraction (e.g., Vyas & Butakhieo, 2021) to parents with young children who may interrupt their working parents. While zoom meetings can be practical as seen on the news (Lumby, 2020), it may not be practical for working parents with children. Based on this argument, it is thus argued that the workplace should be more humanized so that such situations which can restrain good workers from performing well can be eliminated, if not minimized. At present, the Malaysian society has not reached that level of humanization yet. It cannot thus be assumed that every manager or organization is in the position to apply such levels of inclusivity for their employees. Even so, as much as we would appreciate moving towards a more inclusive work environment, we have to admit the likelihood of sudden interruptions made by young children on their working parents. Although a good start, the WFH trend may still be faced with some challenges. It takes high self-discipline, motivation, organizational and time management skills to ensure that this can work successfully for both the employers and the employees. When the pandemic hit the world, the market was stagnant, and demands were low. Employees who were still in employment had to work from home. Others had to accept reduced work hours hence reduced income. The self-employed were also badly affected by the pandemic. They not only lacked social protection, they also became very vulnerable, struggling to survive under drastic reductions of income (UNICEF, 2021). Some employees in the hospitality and tourism industry were compelled to take unpaid leave momentarily even though they did not lose their jobs. They had to pivot to essential industries in order to gain some income. Over half the households surveyed by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) experienced a deterioration in their socio-economic conditions (UNICEF, 2021). Fortunately, the advancement of technologies today came in handy for those who decided to switch to other industries. Online businesses became a trend and goods and services were transacted online. Entry barriers varied, with some people using their mobiles to start live-streaming on social media, selling their goods. This also led to a surge of people selling homecooked meal sets, pastries and cakes, fresh produces like seafood, and even online tuition services. While there were people worrying about being retrenched, those with jobs worried about when they would lose their jobs as the COVID-19 cases increased in severity. Inevitably, workers from all categories begun working harder, under the fear of losing their jobs. This was a negative motivator for many employees. As a result of the emotions caused by job insecurity, people begun experiencing higher levels of distress

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(Blanuša et al., 2021). This included employees from more secure companies which did their best to retain their staff. As mentioned earlier, these employees had to work harder to compensate for their company’s retention. Such a scenario is consistent with the social exchange theory which states that there is a voluntary expectation of return when one thinks that he/she has received some kind of support even if this was not stipulated in advance (Blau, 1964; Homans, 1961). Such employees tend to feel particularly grateful because their organization too experienced some form of distress during the pandemic. In this regard, their efforts in working harder served as a form of gratitude towards their organization for retaining them. If such a feeling is not well addressed, it could also lead to negative outcomes, where employees could risk overworking, thereby affecting their performance and well-being. When working during the pandemic, employers also faced the challenge of infusing company culture amongst their employees. For organizations with a strong and distinct culture, employees may feel less immersed if work was conducted online. For instance, conventional versus modern office designs, or strict versus relaxed dress codes, or rigid versus humane office policies. As an illustration, the Sports Direct office in Malaysia turned off the office lighting and locked the company’s computer screens after 7 p.m. in the evening so as to discourage overworking. This policy was hard to impose in the WFH practice, especially for new employees who had only experienced the WFH trend. These employees may be less easy to ingrained with the company’s unique culture when working from home, even though it may be beneficial to them. Another disadvantage of the WFH syndrome is that employees may experience a lack in connectedness with the company and other colleagues. During on-site works, employees could interact with each other or go for lunch with each other, thereby building a more organic relationship. It appears that when working in teams, employees experienced more communication and coordination, and this enhanced efficiency at work. Tom Osborne, the Managing Director of Hays Malaysia and Thailand mentioned that humans often operate better when together in a physical community (Poo, 2021). In contrast, the WFH practice had caused some disconnectedness among employees. About 65% of the Sports Direct employees in the United States claimed that they worked in isolation when the WFH policy was implemented. They mentioned that they were less connected to their co-workers. In the context of Malaysia, a study on this is still lacking (Parker et al., 2020). This implies that small email-exchanges or text messages allowed people to become connected in a small way in comparison to normal working patterns where people could exchange ideas, solve problems or ask each other for help more easily over their working desks. Working on-site/in office gives employees the availability to read each other’s nonverbal cues which reduces misunderstanding. The convenience of video conferencing helps when working from home, but it is not as effective as face-to-face consultations. Some companies may also practice alternations where different employees work on-site and at home, taking turns. As a measure to reduce overcrowding and the transmission of the virus, coordination between employees who WFH, and those who work on-site could be challenging for some organizations. For instance, circumstances involving meetings could pose some problems since some employees at home may feel excluded when a face-to-face meeting is involved. This is based on the findings

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of Nicholas Bloom, a professor in economics at Stanford University, who spoke to hundreds of organizations during the pandemic (Bloom, 2021). The subjects voiced their anxieties about the office in-group and home-out groups. It appears that there were glances or whispers in the office conference room for at-office employees, but this was noted as absent for the work from home employees. Even when companies required at-office employees to attend video conferences from their respective work desks instead of collectively in the office conference room, it appears that the WFH employees also felt left out because work from home employees were aware that at-office employees were able to carry on with their face-to-face discussion even when the online conference had ended or when they had a coffee together (Bloom, 2021). If such a condition persists, it could be detrimental to employees’ well-being, and ultimately, hurt organizations. Finally, with the vaccine rate finally reaching a satisfactory level, accompanied by lesser hospitalizations and lower critical rate, many restrictions were subsequently lifted. This process took a period of almost two years since 2020, with the situation having gone through several rounds of active case fluctuations, living in fear of virus transmission, ever-changing government policies in curbing the virus, market uncertainties, and many more. As the situation improved, many organizations also instructed their employees to return to office (Tambou et al., 2021). Traffic finally returned to normal as the pre-COVID days. Although studies showed that jobs that were suitable for WFH tend to be the ones that require non-routine analytical and interpersonal skills, and routine cognitive skills (World Bank, 2019), many employees who belonged to these categories of work were still instructed to return to office. One reason for this call to return to office (excluding those where the nature of work can only be done on-site) was to enhance their productivity level (Raju, 2022). As mentioned by the risk management senior executive at Razer Fintech, working from office “creates a certain discipline among working adults” (Raju, 2022). One Shopee customer service executive mentioned that WFH changed her habits, such as eating and sleeping routines which caused health issues whilst working in office forced her to follow a healthier lifestyle, to eat and sleep on a fixed schedule. According to McKinsey Global Institute, certain tasks were done better in person, such as negotiations, discussions on critical business decisions as well as brainstorming sessions (Lund et al., 2021). Following the lift of the MCO, online classes were discontinued, and students were instructed to return to schools. Face-to-face classes were pursued because they seemed to be more effective for learning when compared to online classes (Alagesh, 2021). This finding had been articulated by many educators and students. Apparently, students tended to be more focused in face-to-face classroom settings than computer-screen learning. These online classes offered many benefits to students by ensuring that there was continuity in formal education when face-to-face learning was disrupted by the pandemic. Nonetheless, the first drawback of online classes is that they require extra self-discipline for students to resist the temptation of doing other, unrelated activities. The second drawback is that online learning disrupts attention while face-to-face learning is more stable. The third drawback of online learning is that it may not be suitable for all learners hence, educators need to understand their

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students better including their personalities and learning styles so as to follow-up with their learning progress. The fourth drawback of online learning when compared to face-to-face learning is that the latter offers a tangible classroom environment that cultivates interaction among students. Social interaction with peers is an important learning process in children development, and this is totally absent in online classes. Overall, this means that the government needs to examine how the norm of future working landscape would resemble and how interesting discourses can be stimulated to overcome this norm of WFH. More about this issue will be further discussed.

4.4 The Pandemic Does not Affect People Equally: Perspectives of the Women Women were affected by the pandemic differently from men (BBC, n.d.). First of all, there was a disproportionate decline in unemployment between genders (International Labour Organisation, 2021). In Malaysia, compared to pre-Covid level in 2019, the number of employed women had fallen by 2.5%, while men fell by 0.5% during the pandemic (Cheng, 2020). The statistics was five (5) times more for women than for men, representing nearly 66.7% of overall employment decline. Not only were women affected by unemployment, they also tend to recover from employment much slower than men. Since the pandemic, there were more women who exited entirely from labor participation. This showed that it is harder for women to bounce back when employment is affected. One reason is because women have high participation in industries which are heavily affected by the pandemic, such as retail, hospitality, and tourism. Besides that, unpaid care responsibilities during the pandemic fell heavier among women, and this compounded the inequity in the labor market. For instance, gender pay gap tends to discourage women from continuing to look for work. In the first quarter of 2020, a significant number of workers who left the workforce cited “housework/family” as the primary root (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2022). The International Labour Organisation (2018) also showed that women did four (4) times more unpaid care and domestic work than men in Asia and the Pacific. For working parents, WFH had disproportionately increased the share of work in childcare, house chores, cooking, and grocery shopping. Indeed, as reported by The Malaysian Insight (2022), often, the case is women had to bear more family responsibilities on top of their professional responsibilities. In the Global gender gap index of 2022, Malaysia ranked 103 out of 146 economies surveyed (Murugiah, 2022). The Global Gender Gap Report considered four areas of gender-based gaps evolution—economic participation and opportunities, health and survival, educational attainment, and political empowerment. Malaysia stood out in educational attainment and health and survival. Under education attainment, Malaysian women scored higher than men. This was reflected in the enrolment in tertiary education where women’s enrolment rate was 49.9% when compared to men’s 40.7% in 2021 (The Malaysian Insight, 2022). However, more effort is

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needed to narrow the gender gap on other aspects, such as economic participation and opportunities, and political empowerment. According to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) managing director, Saadia Zahidi, other than the cost of living crisis that had impacted women unequally due to labor market losses during the pandemic, extended inadequacy of care infrastructure was also responsible for the undesirable gender gap (The Malaysian Insight, 2022). Additionally, suicide among women was also high. Between January 2019 and May 2021, 1,427 (83.5%) of all (1,708) suicide cases involved women. According to the EMIR (Engagement, Moderation, Innovation and Rigour) research, there is increasing worry for single parent suicides, particularly, single mothers (Yeoh, 2021). Due to the socially and economically vulnerable situations they are in which worsened due to adverse impacts of the pandemic, women victims tend to become more affected by a deterioration in their physical and mental health. Consequently, they risk developing various physical and mental problems, which eventually led to suicidal thoughts. The victimization of women during the first phase of the movement restriction order is evidenced in the drastic increase of domestic violence against women in Malaysia (Hasbullah & Chong, 2021; Women’s Aid Organisation, 2020). The Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO), a non-profit organization (NGO) which provides support for women and children under abuse, reported an alarming 360% rise in distress calls between February and April 2020 (MCO 1.0 commenced 18th of March). Women, Family, and Community Minister, Rina Mohd Harun, also mentioned that there were 9,015 police reports related to domestic violence recorded since the first MCO until September 2021 (The Malaysian Insight, 2022), which was up by 42% since 2020 (Devi, 2022). Job losses, financial distress as well as confinement of the environment caused by the pandemic and movement restriction order led to prolonged stress and anxieties. Coupled with the imbalance in power (if any) in households, a surge in domestic violence during the pandemic was thus, not surprising. It was worrying to note that 53.3% of survey respondents in Malaysia stated that domestic violence against women is a “normal reaction” due to stress or frustration (Loheswar, 2021). It is also noteworthy that 44.9% of respondents argued that women were accountable for the ongoing domestic violence when they chose not to leave their partners. Besides that, 30% of respondents believed that women who often flirt with other people were responsible for violence due to jealousy. This showed signs of acceptable circumstances, such as in the event where the victim’s behaviors triggered the domestic violence. The complexity of domestic violence seemed to have been underestimated, partly leading to these perceptions. For instance, there could be many reasons why a woman is reluctant to leave an abusive relationship, rather than solely by “choice”. Made up of single or combined reasons, issues faced by women can include threats of personal safety, or child custody, fear of breaking social expectations, lack of financial independency, and many more.

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4.5 Government, Organizations and Workers: Strategies in Place and How We Can Do More 4.5.1 Government Vaccines, including booster shots, were procured and distributed to the public for free through the National COVID-19 Immunization Program. Vaccinations, albeit not completely shielding the possibility infection, remained significant in reducing serious complications and hospitalizations. With vaccination rate reaching satisfactory level, people were more protected against the transmission of COVID-19 and its effects when returning to their work and daily lives. The MOHR encouraged employers to grant employees leave for vaccination. However, whether it is paid leave or otherwise, would be up to the respective employers. In addition to that, the Malaysian government had also allocated RM530 billion which was used to launch a total of eight (8) economic stimulus packages in 2020 and 2021. This was mostly in response to the slow economic recovery caused by the pandemic (Chan et al., 2021; Ministry of Finance Malaysia, 2021). The packages were aimed at helping individuals and organizations, such as financial assistance to the public and organizations, wage subsidiaries, unemployment assistance, incentives for hiring and training, price control for essential items, and many more. The government allocated RM300 million under the Small Entrepreneur Digitalisation Empowerment Programme (Pupuk) to assist the acceleration of digitalization among micro and small and medium-sized (SME) businesses. The program focused on the following initiatives: . To encourage participation on e-commerce platform and cashless transactions. . To support SMEs in purchasing systems or digital platform subscriptions. . To empower agriculture entrepreneurs from the rural areas in adopting the latest technology. Besides providing direct support through financial and revitalizing programs, the government also introduced various relief measures, such as tourism tax exemptions, and full sales tax exemptions on locally-assembled car purchases. Penalty for late Sales and Service Tax (SST) payment was also waived. Up to RM3,000 income tax relief was also applied for fees paid to daycare centers and kindergartens until 2023 (New Straits Times, 2021). To serve the people’s online working and learning needs so that they align with the government’s pandemic recovery plan, telecommunication providers (e.g., Celcom, Digi, Maxis, U Mobile, and Unifi) offered free daily internet service of 1 Gigabyte (GB) in 2020 and 2021 (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, 2021). In terms of support for women, the Ministry of Women, Family, and Community Development provided a 24-h hotline (Talian Kasih, Phone Number: 15999) to serve any distress calls (Chin, 2020; Wanita et al., n.d.). The Public Service Announcement (PSA) operated by the National Security Council played a crucial role in broadcasting the availability of Talian Kasih hotline and police help (Lim, 2020). The availability

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of Whatsapp contacts was also very helpful because in some cases, women had little chances to make phone calls, such as when under close monitor of their spouses. There were also other helplines organized by the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) as well as through the collaboration of the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Mercy Malaysia which was linked through the WAO’s helpline. In addition, videos and documentaries aimed to increase public awareness on home abuse were also circulated on mainstream media and online platforms. Nonetheless, it is to be noted that during the initial period of the MCO, all criminal and civil court cases were postponed (Women’s Aid Organisation, 2020). This suspended the home abuse charges, but women were still being assisted because the valuable channels and resources were still accessible for women victims during the pandemic. Moving forward, it is proposed that more attention be paid to the labor legislations so that these can be reassessed for the WFH coverage (Vyas & Butakhieo, 2021). In fact, some updates had been made by the government, such as the Amendment of Employment Act 1955, which will take effect on 1st January 2023.This change would allow employee to apply for flexible work arrangements (FWAs) from their respective organizations (Yeoh & Pua, 2022). Employers are given the right to accept or reject the applications which must be verified in writing with justification(s). The Malaysian government is fully aware that certain industries (such as hospitality), and certain nature of the jobs cannot be performed from WFH or the FWA policy, hence some form of flexibility is offered to employers to reconsider. The inclusion of the WFH into the labor legislation should be considered for the country’s future. This means that the WFH guidelines, including the rights and obligations of employees, should also be illustrated and promoted within the labor law as a softer approach so that productivity and well-being are being optimized by employees. Besides that, the Malaysian government need to emphasize more on policies regarding women employees so that they can be further encouraged to return to the workforce. Women’s talent development in the industries of the future must be given more attention. Taking a lead in gender diversity is a strategic pathway to ensure tangible competitive advantage, especially if Malaysia aspires to become a high-income economy in 2024. This would make Malaysia more appealing to the international stage.

4.5.2 Organizations The first and most evident action for the government to take is to implement the WFH policy as a means to curb the spread of virus, as mentioned repeatedly throughout this chapter. Of course, this is an option to ensure business continuity for non-essential services, which had been implemented during the earlier phase of the MCO in March 2020. Nonetheless, when mandatory WFH was lifted some time in 2020 and 2021, many organizations were observed to extend the WFH until further notice. This was partly due to the unstable situation of the pandemic which could lead to the possibility of reintroducing mandatory WFH policies. Most organizations had hoped to prevent employees from having to change their work locations repeatedly, between office

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and home. Besides that, the move to extend WFH was also to protect employees since the COVID-19 cases were still unpredictable. In addition to that, building a supportive organizational culture would be a valuable asset for employees. For instance, organizations can facilitate mental health programs. PETRONAS, a Malaysian oil and gas company, partnered with the Malaysian Psychiatric Association (MPA) to develop in-house mental health programs (PETRONAS, 2022) for its employees. The program aimed to train first aiders within PETRONAS in assisting the company to make referrals of their colleagues in seeking professional help offered by the organization’s Employee Assistance Program known as myFriends. As we can see, people suffer differently from the pandemic and post-pandemic repercussions. Thus, employers play a significant role in supporting employees during the pandemic, and following the pandemic. We should be mindful that employees are living beings who go through many events, sometimes unpleasant ones in life. Temporary hiccups are inevitable for the scale of the pandemic that had hit the world and of course, the disruptions it brought. Leaders ought to be more understanding by developing an adaptation period to address any sudden, or unintended changes that happened in the company. In order to maintain a healthy retention rate of employees, organizations and leaders need to be inclusive by considering the different needs of their employees during these unprecedented times. Hays (n.d.) noted that Malaysia has illustrated six (6) best practices to manage the practices of remote work. It starts with accounting for the employees’ personalities, by using the right tools to communicate with employees, to plug the knowledge gaps, to trust the team, to address time for work and play, and to be sensitive to their schedules. Comparatively, the International Labour Organisation (2020) also illustrated the ways to mitigate the challenges faced by employees when working from home. Fundamentally, all agreed that an open and regular communication is key. Technological assistance is also beneficial, for instance, equipment and workstation set-ups. Data protection and security also need to be handled with due diligence. At the same time, employees’ privacy should still be respected. Other than that, employees’ occupational safety and health must be treated with high regards. This would mean that there should be prudent staff management practices so as to avoid any potential abuse of the WFH arrangements. This would include the arrangement of work hours, work intensity, flexibility and support for performance and productivity, encompassing a high regard for health and mental well-being. Organizations can also enhance employees’ work-life balance by offering them opportunities to improve their skills through training and development. Organizations can also offer additional family benefits such as providing family dependents with medical care, education, or other benefits. Such benefits can help loyal employees to wade off future challenges and have job security. It goes without saying that organizations need to be in line with the government’s policies and directives on the development of organizations. Additionally, organizations may consider holding on-going discussions with the authorities involved so as to keep abreast of the latest policies, guidelines, and trends. Having said that, while adapting to any new changes, organizations must do their best to ensure that their employees’ well-being are being attended to.

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Unwittingly, the pandemic has transformed how work life balance will be for the future. Around the world, work will now be a hybrid of remote and physical office work settings. While multinational organizations may be more receptive, local companies may have some issues having to adapt to this trend. This is because hybrid work is not without concerns, such as employees’ freedom to work, employees’ dedication to work, productivity and quality of work produced. On one hand, leaders are passionate about allowing employees to choose their own WFH days and employees may opt for this arrangement since it saves costs and time in many ways. On the other hand, companies may be uncertain of their employees’ commitment to their work since employees are working at their own pace from their home settings. Thus, many organizations need to make their decisions when thinking about hybrid work schedules. For instance, there could be diversity issues (Bloom, 2021). Moreover, freedom to choose own schedule could lead to a phenomenon in which the group who chose to WFH may be the ones taking on huge responsibilities encompassing work and family domains. In Malaysia, this could cause more female employees to work from home than men due to the stereotypical gender roles that are still prevalent in the country. As mentioned earlier, coordination between those who work in the office and those at home can be challenging. It could lead to the creation of in-group and out-group situations which could affect cooperation, and also promotions. Studies have shown that the rate of promotion was reduced significantly when employees took on WFH (Bloom, 2021; Laker et al., 2021). Further, since employees were free to choose their WFH days, there is a risk that when certain requirements are imposed, such as minimum number of employees required to be present in office, it could create conflicts among employees in choosing who gets to WFH. This can be a challenge when designing a completely fair policy. All in all, organizations have to be thoughtful when implementing their future work schedules, to ensure that no one is excluded. Since there is no one-size-fits all work method, the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) may have to make sure that flexible work arrangements (FWAs) are designed by the respective industries themselves since the nature of businesses such as manufacturing, banking, hospitality, construction, agriculture, and education varies (Bernama, 2022). To serve the employees well, and to make sure that employers are not short changed, policies must take into consideration the needs of both employers and employees.

4.5.3 Workers (Individuals) Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world badly. While countries are now trying their respective best to steer the people’s lives back to normal, the government also needs to look for appropriate outlets that can help organizations to overcome their obstacles. Whether it is financial incapacitation, job loss, family care, or emotional hardships, the government must ensure that help is available for the citizens. One of the best ways to protect ourselves as citizens is to know our rights! In Malaysia, as mentioned previously, the Employment Act 1955, the Social

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Security Act 1969, the Industrial Relations Act 1967, the Employees Provident Fund Act 1991, the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994, the Personal Data Protection Act 2010, the Employment Insurance Systems Act 2017, and the Minimum Wage Order 2022 are some of the most prominent laws available in this country which govern employment. These laws cover aspects such as hiring and termination, salary, benefits, working hours, discrimination safeguards, job safety and health, retirement funds, among other legal obligations. These laws are important for employees because they strengthen their financial position by preparing them for unforeseen events or crisis in the future. Such a protection is an important safety net for employees because they would not be left with the panic mode and little option to survive when unfavorable events happened to them. This can be traced to the employees’ financial aids, for instance. People should have adequate savings, hence the recommendation of employees having three (3) to six (6) months’ savings for expenses, should they be struck by job losses. Employees are also advised to spend rationally and within their capacity so that they save for rainy days’ ration. Alternatively, employees are advised to learn how to secure alternative sources of income such as passive income since people are still able to live off (at least partially) with their alternative income, when the primary source of income is no longer at hand. All in all, having an appropriate financial cushion will greatly lessen the negative effects of a crisis. With regards to the women employees who may be more disadvantaged in the workforce during the pandemic, they are encouraged to get involved actively in the government and organizations’ support and talent development program. For instance, organizations such as LeadWomen, National Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Malaysia (NAWEN) and Institute for the Empowerment of Women (NIEW) have numerous initiatives to support women (Rahsiad, 2021). Women and women leaders are indispensable because they offer dynamic environments; they spark-off diverse ideas; they are creative; they have strong working and management styles, and they have better power at balancing organizations. Additionally, women employees can be encouraged to become more confident by creating equality at the workforce for them. Men can enhance the women’s roles by playing more fair with women employees, giving them more opportunities to demonstrate their power and also to offer a workplace setting that empowers these women employees even more. As the country strives to move closer towards being a developed country, it should also make sure that there is human equality in our society. Women should be encouraged to have a career, to work side by side with men, and to put in their best alongside their male colleagues. This means that besides supporting women at their jobs and duties, men should also support their wives and mothers at home by sharing non-work responsibilities. Since communication is key, and each case varies it is up to the respective individuals to work this out with their spouses. In the modern world, there is very little difference about what men and women can achieve, across any industries, job types, and tasks. The only set back may be in terms of physical strength, as is exemplified by the case of domestic violence or sexual crimes against women. Nonetheless, with the accessibility of helplines such as Talian Kasih, Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) as well as the police, women can

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now reach out for help. Such actions could also encourage other women to do the same. This implies that keeping and expanding resources which can help to protect women is particularly important (Azuar, 2021). The general public can help to raise awareness by sharing available resources and assistance through various channels.

4.6 Endemic: Working and Living with the Virus, and Things that Matters While the pandemic has empowered people to rethink and reassess what work means to them, the endemic is extending this line of thought further. According to a survey conducted by Randstad (2022), 80% of the Malaysian respondents said that they have more clarity on both their personal and professional goals since the pandemic. They appreciate the organizations that value the employees’ well-being and flexibility, and 64% said that they want to work in a safe work environment. Half or 52% of these respondents said that there should now be opportunities to do meaningful work, and 49% stated that their companies ought to be more flexible so as to accommodate their commitments outside of work. However, it is still unclear if these organizations can cater to their needs especially by envisioning the future of their workplace. According to Hays’ report, the digitalization of processes, the openness to change, work flexibility and availability of options to work remotely, increased training and development opportunities, and the redesigning of existing roles into the hybrid or part-time job arrangement are among the desires of the employees in Malaysia, and what they hope to see in the future (Poo, 2021). These employees have experienced various challenges during the pandemic, and even after they returned to office. This means that organizations should seek to develop new forms of support for their staff. Building a work-friendly environment can never go wrong. Whether WFH is tenable or not is yet to be seen. Although multiple sources have mentioned that the future of the workplace would include at least some levels of flexibility (or at least hybrid), the work arrangement needs to be designed thoughtfully so that various issues are addressed, such as those discussed above, diversity, fairness, and in-and-out groups between employees. Hybrid work may be popular, but it has also been critiqued to benefit only the well-educated, and the well-paid minority of the workforce (Poo, 2021). Employees could be further divided since white-collars employees would be the most benefited cohort. Organizations need to look at other aspects specific to their own organizations/industries as well. One thing for sure is that digitalization would be the known future, and its evidence has been stressed by the pandemic. Therefore, upskilling is crucial. Participating in organizational training programs supported by the eight (8) national economic stimulus programs offers a good starting point to address demands for essential skills for the future. Employees must also be proactive and stay up-to-date to the latest trends and technologies in their works.

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4.7 Conclusion This chapter has delved into how the COVID-19 pandemic changed the work landscape in Malaysia. It further outlined the struggles faced by employees, followed by the strategies which organizations, the government, and employees can adopt in order to alleviate the effects of the pandemic on the workforce. Special focus was given to the women’s experiences. The chapter then closed by enunciating current work situations, and the important elements to address so as to enhance the employees’ wellbeing. With all things considered, organizations must recognize that their employees are living and breathing human beings, that their welfare is important. They are not just a business resource, or a profit-generating machine. Taking care of the employees’ well-being is not an extra benefit but a necessity because it complements the integral employment relationship.

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Malaysia. https://www.isis.org.my/2020/11/30/pushed-to-the-margins-the-unequal-impacts-ofthe-covid-19-crisis-on-marginalised-malaysian-workers/ Chin, E. S. M. (2020, March 18). Minister Rina Harun lifts Talian Kasih hotline suspension after bipartisan criticism. Malay Mail. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/03/18/min ister-rina-harun-lifts-talian-kasih-hotline-suspension-after-bipartisan/1847826 Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2021, July 14). Salaries & Wages Survey Report, Malaysia, 2020. https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cthemeByCat&cat=157&bul_id= VDRDc0pGZHpieEUwMDNFWHVHSnpkdz09&menu_id=Tm8zcnRjdVRNWWlpWjRlbmtl aDk1UT09 Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2022). Labour force statistics report. https://www.dosm. gov.my/v1/uploads/files/1_Articles_By_Themes/Labour_Force/Monthly/2022/LABOUR%20F ORCE%20REPORT%20MARCH%202022.pdf Devi, V. (2022, February 13). Domestic violence cases up by 42% last year, says Rina. The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/02/13/domestic-violence-cases-up-by42-last-year-says-rina Hamid, M. A. A., Noor, N. H. M., & Abdullah, A. (2021). E-Proceeding 8th International Conference on Public Policy and Social Science (ICoPS) 2021, 978-967-14569-4-1. https://ir.uitm.edu. my/id/eprint/54206/1/54206.pdf Hasbullah, N. E., & Chong, S. (2021, June 2). Do more to protect women, children from abuse during lockdown. Malaysiakini. https://www.malaysiakini.com/columns/577218 Hays. (n.d.). 6 top tips for managing a remote workforce. https://www.hays.com.my/press-release/ content/6-top-tips-for-managing-a-remote-workforce Homans, G. C. (1961). Social behavior and its elementary forms. Harcourt. International Labour Organisation. (2018, June 27). ILO: Women do 4 times more unpaid care work than men in Asia and the Pacific. https://www.ilo.org/asia/media-centre/news/WCMS_633284/ lang--en/index.htm International Labour Organisation. (2020). An employers’ guide on working from home in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---act_ emp/documents/publication/wcms_745024.pdf International Labour Organisation. (2021). Global call to action: For a human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 crisis that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient. https://www.ilo.org/infost ories/en-GB/Campaigns/covid19/globalcall#betweencountries Wanita, K. P. K. and Masyarakat. (n.d.). Talian Kasih 15999. https://www.kpwkm.gov.my/kpwkm/ index.php?r=portal/full&id=NGtVYXZIMjRqM3diWmV2K005Mm9Hdz09 Laker, B. Godley, W., Bolade-Ogunfodun, Y., & Soga, L. (2021, June 1). Don’t let WFH get in the way of your next promotion. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/06/dont-let-wfhget-in-the-way-of-your-next-promotion Lim, I. (2020, April 12). Minister advises domestic violence victims to call women’s ministry hotline for quick police action. Malay Mail. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/ 04/12/minister-advises-domestic-violence-victims-to-call-womens-ministry-hotline/1855937 Lim, I. (2021, July 14). Malaysians’ average, median salaries in 2020 fall for first time since 2010 to RM2,933, RM2,062. Malay Mail. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/07/ 14/malaysians-average-median-salaries-in-2020-fall-for-first-time-since-2010-t/1989755 Loheswar, R. (2021, November 15). Survey: Over half of Malaysians blame women for rape, say domestic violence ‘normal’ when stressed. Malay Mail. https://www.malaymail.com/news/ malaysia/2021/11/15/survey-over-half-of-malaysians-blame-women-for-rape-say-domestic-vio lence-n/2020990 Lumby, C. (2020, June 18). Children interrupting Zoom meetings could be the reboot corporate culture needed. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/18/ children-interrupting-zoom-meetings-could-be-the-reboot-corporate-culture-needed Lund, S., Madgavkar, A., Manyika, J., Smit, S., Ellingrud, K., & Robinson, O. (2021, February 18). The future of work after COVID-19. McKinsey Global Institute. https://www.theedgemarkets. com/content/advertise/prioritising-employees-holistic-wellbeing-workforce-returns-office

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Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. (2021, June 28). Frequently asked questions (FAQ): Free 1GB internet data for Malaysians. https://www.mcmc.gov.my/skmmgovmy/ media/General/pdf/FAQ_ENG_1GB_24HRS_PEMULIH.pdf Ministry of Finance Malaysia. (2021, October 5). More than RM330 bln of economic stimulus packages utilised. https://www.mof.gov.my/portal/en/news/press-citations/more-than-rm330-blnof-economic-stimulus-packages-utilised-mof#:~:text=KUALA%20LUMPUR%2C%20Oct% 205%20%E2%80%93%20More,as%20of%20Sept%2024%2C%202021 Murugiah, S. (2022, July 13). Malaysia ranked 103 on global gender gap index 2022. The Edge Markets. https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/malaysia-ranked-103-global-gen der-gap-index-2022 New Straits Times. (2021, October 29). Relief for payment of daycare and kindergarten fees. https:// www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/10/740959/relief-payment-daycare-and-kindergarten-fees Parker, K., Horowitz, J. M., & Minkin, R. (2020, December 9). How the coronavirus outbreak has – And hasn’t – Changed the way Americans work. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/12/09/how-the-coronavirus-outbreakhas-and-hasnt-changed-the-way-americans-work/ PETRONAS. (2022, January 7). PETRONAS Partners With Malaysian Psychiatric Association to Safeguard Employees’ Mental Wellbeing. https://www.petronas.com/media/press-release/pet ronas-partners-malaysian-psychiatric-association-safeguard-employees-mental Pluut, H., & Wonders, J. (2020). Not able to lead a healthy life when you need it the most: dual role of lifestyle behaviors in the association of blurred work-life boundaries with well-being. Frontiers In Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.607294 Poo, C. (2021, January 11). Surviving the impact of Covid-19: WFH is here to stay, looking more hybrid. The Edge Markets. https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/surviving-impact-covid19wfh-here-stay-looking-more-hybrid Rahman, A. A., Jasmin, A. F., Schmillen, A. (2020). The vulnerability of jobs to COVID-19: The case of Malaysia. ISEAS. Yusof Ishak Institute. https://www.iseas.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/ 2020/10/ISEAS_EWP_2020-09_Amanina_Alyssa_Schmillen.pdf Rahsiad, N. L. R. M. (2021, September 24). The silent scream of Malaysian working women encountering COVID-19 lockdown. BERNAMA. https://www.bernama.com/en/thoughts/news. php?id=2006158 Raju, S. T. (2022, May 11). Back to working from office. The Sun Daily. https://www.thesundaily. my/local/back-to-working-from-office-FJ9182869 Randstad. (2022, April 5). 88% of Malaysians feel empowered to improve their work-life balance: randstad workmonitor. https://www.randstad.com.my/hr-trends/workforce-trends/88-per-centmalaysians-empowered-improve-work-life-balance/ Schieman, S., Badawy, P., A. Milkie, M., & Bierman, A. (2021). Work-life conflict during the COVID-19 pandemic. Socius: Sociological Research for A Dynamic World, 7, 237802312098285. https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023120982856 Tambou, S. M., Rahim, N. B. A., & Sabar, M. N. B. A. (2021). The nationalinternational employee and employer perspective on work from home. Department of Statistics Malaysia. https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/uploads/files/6_Newsletter/Newsletter%202 021/DOSM_ILMIA_4_2021_SERIES-45.pdf Tan, T., Carvalho, M., Sivanandam, H., & Rahim, R. (2020, December 9). Nearly 100,000 Malaysians have lost jobs since the start of MCO, says HR ministry. The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/12/09/nearly-100000-malaysians-havelostjobs-since-start-of-mco-says-hr-ministry Teoh, S., & Rodzi, N. H. (2020, March 29). Coronavirus: Malaysia’s stay-home order leave many too close for comfort with cramped housing. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/seasia/coronavirus-malaysias-stay-home-order-leave-many-too-close-for-comfort-with-cramped The Malaysian Insight. (2022, April 7). Women’s issues require national, or the other gender’s, attention. https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/375606

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Tredinnick, L., & Laybats, C. (2020). Working in the world of the pandemic. Business Information Review, 37(3), 97–102. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266382120953829 UNICEF. (2021, February 8). As Malaysia entered MCO 2.0, many low-income urban families were already close to breaking point. https://www.unicef.org/malaysia/press-releases/malaysiaentered-mco-20-many-low-income-urban-families-were-already-close-breaking Vyas, L., & Butakhieo, N. (2021). The impact of working from home during COVID-19 on work and life domains: An exploratory study on Hong Kong. Policy Design and Practice, 4(1), 59–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741292.2020.1863560 Women’s Aid Organisation. (2020, June 30). Submission on COVID-19 and the increase of domestic violence against women in Malaysia to the UN special rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/2022-01/malaysia-womens-aid.pdf World Bank. (2019). World development report 2019: The changing nature of work. https://www. worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2019 Xiao, Y., Becerik-Gerber, B., Lucas, G., & Roll, S. (2020). Impacts of working from home during COVID-19 pandemic on physical and mental well-being of office workstation users. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 63(3), 181–190. https://doi.org/10.1097/jom.000000 0000002097 Yeoh, A. (2021, August 6). Preventing unemployment suicides. EMIR Research. https://www.emi rresearch.com/preventing-unemployment-suicides/

Chapter 5

Wellbeing of Employees in Family Owned Businesses in the COVID-19 Era: Anecdotal Evidence from Malaysia

Abstract The recent COVID-19 pandemic turned economies upside down; upending lives and their livelihoods. Among the most affected were small and medium family-owned businesses. Considering resource limitations of such businesses, ensuring survival of the enterprise, along with wellbeing of their employees was an existential challenge. Unlike non-family businesses, family firms are strongly driven by socio-emotional goals thereby making it difficult for them to focus only on self-preservation, without prioritising employees’ wellbeing. The literature indicates that family firms tend to manifest resilience during extreme crises; they tend to go to extraordinary lengths to ensure employees’ wellbeing. With the aim of exploring how family firms dealt with employees’ wellbeing during the pandemic, this chapter presents cases from different parts of Malaysia as anecdotal evidences to demonstrate how family-owned enterprises stretched their resources and their creativity in order to protect their workforce. In each case, the idiosyncratic responses of the different family firms are then related to concepts derived from the family business literature, such as socioemotional wealth, familiness, family social capital, etc. The chapter ends with a summary on the caring and resilient nature of family firms, as demonstrated by the Malaysian businesses presented in this study.

5.1 Introduction Black swan events are defined as unpredicted events that can create major shocks and impacts on most individuals and organizations (Antipova, 2020). From early 2020 and until end of 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic had been one such event which had put many organizations around the world into severe crises, testing their resilience in an unprecedented manner (Shen et al., 2020). One outcome of the pandemic is the focus on employees’ wellbeing, which has been brought to the forefront of human resource management strategies. Concerns for the wellbeing of the workforce has become a major goal in many economies where phenomena such as the “Great Resignation” or “The Great Attrition” taking place in the United States of America had become an emerging trend, causing concerns for business organizations (Smet et al., 2021). © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 R. Abu Bakar et al., Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Employee Well-being, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0432-7_5

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The preceding phenomenon involves a large number of organizational employees quitting their 9–5 jobs in order to find more freedom, and a better quality of life by looking for part-time jobs that offer opportunities for working from home, or even through self-employment. This phenomenon has accelerated the number of people getting involved in the Gig economy. A report based on the data collected from employees in different regions of North America and Western Europe in multiple time-waves (i.e., longitudinal study) revealed that most workers were prioritising their personal wellbeing over professional careers (McKinsey & Company, 2021). This exodus of people quitting their mainstream work had been particularly devastating for small and medium-sized family-owned businesses (Smet et al., 2021). Employees’ wellbeing is a substantially researched topic in the organizational behaviour literature (Kindli et al., 2021). It is a concept, which refers to the valued experience of individuals through which they become more effective at work, and gain perceptions of a better quality of life (Huang et al., 2016). The term cannot be accurately defined because it encompasses people’s fulfillment, happiness, and satisfaction, among other emotions (Diener, 2009). Nontheless, employees’ wellbeing has been categorized into two—eudaimonic and hedonic (Ballesteros-Levia et al., 2017). The former, eudaimonic wellbeing, is linked to the perception of personal growth and fulfilment by thriving at work and more. The other, hedonic wellbeing is related to people’s conscious evaluation of all aspects of their personal lives such as feelings of happiness and others (Ryan & Deci, 2000). In returning to the aftermath of the pandemic, it can be said that the social distancing measures implemented by most governments around the world, had been particularly severe on small and medium sized family-owned businesses (Antipova et al., 2021). A vast majority of academic and industry literature had focused on the negative outcomes of the pandemic (Bailey & Breslin, 2021). However, this event has also brought to the surface some unique positive characteristics of businesses that are owned and controlled by families. Among the most noteworthy phenomena is the manner in which many family firms prioritised the wellbeing of their employees during the trying times in the COVID-19 restrictions. Most family business literature had alluded to the resilient character of familyowned enterprises when in the process of navigating through unexpected and highly disruptive events (Mihotic et al., 2022). The above study had focused on mediumsized East European family-owned firms. It was discovered that during the COVID-19 pandemic owners of such firms leveraged their family’s social capital in the community to provide support to their non-family employees till the situation returned to normal. Around 57 percent of the family businesses survived through the pandemic without terminating a single employee. In contrast, almost all the medium to large sized non-family businesses reduced their workforce drastically in the same period. Allioui et al. (2022) conducted a study on unlisted family firms in Morocco. Their results showed that family reputation and cultural factors had an impact on the decision making of such firms during the pandemic. The owners of such organizations took into consideration the wellbeing of their employees as a priority even at the cost of incurring debts so as to ensure the safety and livelihoods of the individual employees working in their organizations. These firms took into account their social

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reputation when protecting their employees during the crisis period. Such idiosyncratic behaviour of family fims had also been noted in other parts of the world, such as Malaysia (PwC, 2021). The response to the pandemic in terms of focusing on employees’ wellbeing had been particularly prominent in Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, where religious values are deeply rooted in the local culture. As a modern nation, Malaysia has a strong adherence to its’ religious and cultural roots. This trait has been demonstrated by family-business owners when coping with the strains of the pandemic, and in preserving the wellbeing of their employees. The subsequent sections of this chapter will present some anecdotal evidences of several family-owned businesses in Malaysia, depicting how they emphasized on their employees’ wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

5.2 Family Businesses Have a Soul Fadzillah inherited a tailoring business in Kuala Terengganu, the largest city in the State of Terengganu situated at the Northwestern part of Malaysia. As a housewife, she had to suddenly take over the family business in 2014 from her late husband who passed away suddenly. Fadzillah was left with five young school-going children to take care of. Without having any significant experience in running a business, she had to resume the business with some knowledge of the processes and networks of the business, gained from dinner conversations she had with her husband. In 2016, with the support of a relative who was the principal of a public school, she expanded her business by making uniforms for school children. Her business employed mostly women who were from economically and socially challenged backgrounds. By the end of 2019, Fadzillah’s business had grown as her reputation for quality brought in orders from numerous schools around the city. By then she had employed 23 women of different ages, among whom there were widows, orphans and divorcees. In March 2020, the spread of the deadly virus due to COVID-19 had become an imminent threat to public safety. As a result, schools were shut down. The demand for Fadzillah’s products dwindled, and the situation had reached a point of hopelessness when by the end of the year 2020, there was still no end in sight. The new school year was about to start, which was the busiest season of the year, but there were no new orders for Fadzillah’s school uniform business. The income stream gained from the school uniform business was now at a standstill, wreaking havoc to her small business. Despite the tremendous financial burden, Fadzillah decided not to terminate any of her employees in her establishment. By now the lives of these women were intertwined with Fadzillah’s business. Through the daily interactions at work, she came to know each of these women personally. She also became aware of the vulnerable situation they would be in without some cashflow each month. This put her in a quandary. She was advised by some business associates to consider laying off her

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employees until the situation returned back to normal. Fadzillah spent a few days deeply pondering over the situation. She dug deep into her soul to imagine how each family would survive without the regular income. Finally, she came to a decision that her employees were just as important to her as her own children. Fadzillah had saved some money to purchase a piece of land to build a new production facility, for which she had already spoken earlier with a bank to finance the building and machinery. However, she decided to use this money instead to ensure the safety and wellbeing of her workers. For the next nine months, Fadzillah sent sufficient money to each family of her staff so that they could pay for their family expenses. Although, her new business project was now out of the question, however she still had all her 23 workers who resumed work, safe and sound, once business activities were allowed. In explaining how family firms differed from non-family firms, Hubler (2009) in his study entitled, The Soul of Family Business talked about the role of emotional equity in the decision-making processes of family-owned businesses. Hubler (ibid) asserted that owners of such enterprises think with their hearts; they tend to prioritise their emotional equity over other needs in most circumstances. Another study by Bauweraearts and Colot (2013) examined how small family firms in the Southern United States coped with the Global Financial Crisis in 2008. They found that a large percentage of these firms went into debt so as to protect the livelihoods of their employees. The findings of these two studies support how family-owned businesses in Malaysia operated as illustrated by the case of Fadzillah. In her decision-making process she prioritised the wellbeing of her employees at the cost of her own loss.

5.3 Ensuring Employee Safety at All Costs Mr. Wong was celebrating his 55th birthday when the Malaysian government announced the social distancing guidelines in March 2020 to prevent the spread of infections due to the pandemic. He was the head of a third generation familyowned business in the coastal city of Penang that started as a seafood packaging and distribution business by his grandfather. Because their company was involved in raw food related products, their business was classified as an essential service, and was allowed to operate. Despite the relief of not being asked to shut down their business operations, the primary concern in the mind of the family managers was the employees’ safety. Mr. Wong sat with his two sisters and one brother who were all working in different functional areas of the company, to decide on the health and wellbeing of their employees without substantially disrupting the operations. The first decision was to identify the essential non-frontline workers from those were working at the frontline. Individuals who were able to work from remote locations, such as accounting and administrative personnel were all immediately instructed to work from home until further notice. However, the decision related to workers involved in the packing and distribution operations was more complicated.

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Employees who worked in environments such as seafood packaging operate in a cold and partly refrigerated surrounding that is typically quite wet. Such an environment is highly susceptible to the spread of viral infections that could endanger the lives of workers, and consequently, their families. This situation called for creative solutions from the management. Mr. Wong and his siblings decided to seek advice from public health experts who could guide them on managing the operations without risking the possibility of outbreaks of infections at their facility. Any outbreaks would lead to complete closure of their business operations, as the authorities would implement strong quarantine measures to isolate their facility from the rest of the society till every single person tested negative. The family contacted a professor and a leading public health scholar at a nearby public university, who was also an adviser to the Ministry of Health. The professor suggested that the firm needed to invest in safety measures at several points of their operations. First, each worker had to be screened for symptoms before and after arrival to the facility. Any detection of symptoms needs to be immediately referred to a nearby health facility. Second, there must be sufficient distancing between workers, along with barriers between them inside the packing area. This meant erecting transparent plexiglass barriers, and building more floor space to implement such measures. Third, each worker needs to be provided with personal protection equipment (PPE), along with boots for wet surfaces. Most of the PPEs need to be discarded and incinerated frequently, and replaced with new gears. Finally, each employee has to report on whether anyone at their own homes was exposed or infected. All these measures required not only additional expenses, but also more personnel to monitor and execute the safety measures. Mr. Wong and his family knew that these measures were temporary until the pandemic had subsided, yet the additional expenses and measures were a substantial burden for the organization. The added costs were not compensated through buyers’ prices, as their business was a competitive one. The major institutional buyers were supermarkets, which would seek to import seafood from nearby countries if the local companies hiked their prices. As a result, Mr. Wong’s family firm had to absorb the additional costs into their business. Nevertheless, the Mr. Wong and his siblings were happy to go forward with these measures, because the safety and wellbeing of their employees was non-negotiable. In an interesting study by Christensen-Salem et al. (2021), the authors proposed a new theoretical construct known as Employee Perceived Organizational Caring (EMPOCARE) was proposed. The study examined the archival data of 54,000 + employees in 180 firms in Brazil. It was revealed that the extent of EMPOCARE among family firms was significantly greater than non-family ones. Their conclusion leads them to assert that in general, family firms care more about the safety and wellbeing of their employees when compared to non-family organizations. The finding of the aforesaid study is aligned with the behaviour of the seafood-packaging firm owned by Mr. Wong and his family.

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5.4 Sharing the Pain of Financial Strains with Non-Family Employees Mr. Shivarao is a first generation entrepreneur who came from a family where venturing into business was not a norm. His father and his uncles were all government employees, who expected their children to be educated and to work for similar organisations. Therefore, breaking into the realm of self-employment was a new horizon for the family. Being a Malaysian of Indian ethnicity, Mr. Shivarao built useful networks with the travel and tour businesses companies in various cities in India. These networks enabled him to start and operate a successful tourism business in Malaysia. His business associates would organize tourist in groups to visit Malaysia, and channel the logistics through Mr. Shivarao’s firm. This was a mutually beneficial relationship between the Malaysian company and the Indian travel organisers. The company’s head office was located in Brickfields in the heart of the city, which was well known for the presence of a large group of the Malaysian-Indian businesses. Since, starting the business in 2009, the company’s business has been on a steady rise as Malaysia was blessed with breathtaking scenic beauties that could be appreciated at a relatively lower cost than other countries. The business drew a large number of tourists throughout the year. By the year 2019, Mr. Shivarao had expanded his operations to other locations in Malaysia, by setting up offices in Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu, and Johor Bahru. Mr. Shivarao’s wife and two of his adult daughters were all involved in managing the business, each looking after different aspects of the operations. By the early part of 2020, the company had 57 employees, most of whom were non-family. Mr. Shivarao was very particular about having a diverse mix among his employees, and he employed several Chinese and Malay staff who were very important members of the organisation. Since, March 2020, the news about the pandemic had been made public, and the entire travel and tourism industry came to a standstill. The Malaysian government declared all borders to be closed, and restrictions were placed on people from entering Malaysia. As a result, all prior tour bookings had to be cancelled. Most travel firms had already taken advance payments from their customers, and had some had also made advance payments to hotels and transport firms for their clients. These financial transactions would now create a perilous situation for travel companies as they now need to return back all booking advances. At the same time, they had to cancel all reservations. Mr. Shivarao felt that everything was now in disarray. All his hard work and achievements over the last decade would now be rendered fruitless for now. Beyond the survival of his family business, Mr. Shivarao was equally concerned about the 57 other non-family employees in his organization and their wellbeing. In addition to the potential claims from tour operating partners in India for cancelled programmes, the owner also had to consider how he would deal with the employees who would be facing dire consequences if they were retrenched in the unpredictable future ahead.

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Mr. Shivarao’s company was a member of the Malaysian Indian Tour and Travel Association (MITTA). Majority of the companies in this association were family owned and controlled businesses in the travel and tour business. Businessmen like Mr. Shivarao reached out to the executive body of the association to come up with a collective solution for the dilemma, so that whatever decisions are made regarding employees were uniform across the community. During the deliberations in the crucial meeting of MITTA, several solutions were floated, among them was to lay off all employees until the Malaysian borders were reopened to international travellers. Although, this suggestion seemed to be the most effective approach from an economic logic, owners such as Mr. Shivarao did not agree to this decision because he wanted a more humane option that would focus on the wellbeing of all his employees. Family firms owners of MITTA then pressed the association leaders to develop a special fund that would be used to provide some financial cushion to the members so that they could support their employees for basic needs until the business could resume. After much deliberations and soul searching, the association leaders agreed to reach out to the wealthier members of the community to support the creation of a special fund that could be used to support the employees of member firms. After the crowd funding website was launched, there was an overwhelming positive response, and soon a sizeable amount of money was available. The MITTA requested the members to provide a list of their employees who needed financial assistance. Finally, Mr. Shivarao had some money made available to him through which he could provide support to most of his employees even when operations were at a standstill. The socioemotional wealth theory proposed by Gomez-Mejia et al. (2007) argues that family firms are driven by both economic goals as well as socioemotional goals, where the latter often takes priority over the former. According to Berrone et al. (2012), the socioemotional wealth construct comprises of multiple dimensions that are derived from the social and emotional needs of the families that own these enterprises. Among these dimensions are emotional ties of the family members that were created through their regular interactions with different stakeholders in their business organizations. These emotional ties are not just confined to family members alone. They tend to include all employees whether they are family or non-family employees (Razzak, 2022). This type of caring for employees’ wellbeing as demonstrated by Mr. Shivarao should not be dismissed as just a manifestation of one man’s good nature. Studies conducted by family business researchers in various contexts have indicated that such extraordinary levels of empathy towards non-family employees are quite common among family firms (Razzak et al., 2022).

5.5 We Are All in It Together The City of Kuantan is one of the most economically vibrant parts of the State of Pahang in Malaysia. The family of Abu Bakar was involved in the garments distribution and retail trade for three generations. Not only was Abu Bakar the head of the family business that provides employment to 182 individuals in the locality, he

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is also a highly regarded community. Abu Bakar’s father was a well-known Islamic scholar and Imam. In 2018, a major flood had swept through most of Kuantan where Abu Bakar lived, leaving many people living in the locality in distress. Abu Bakar initiated a relief fund to provide aid to several villages, and to ensure the safety and health of several hundreds of families in distress. His humanitarian initiatives earned him the hearts of his employees, and a respectable position in society. In the second quarter of 2020, when all non-essential businesses were ordered to shut down under the movement control order caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Abu Bakar’s family business was also brought to a grinding halt. The family operated 16 clothing outlets throughout the Pahang State, out of which nine were on rental premises. It was a common business practice for garment retailers to borrow from banks to acquire new inventories, depending on seasonal demands, so that customers would come and find new designs at the stores. Nonetheless, with all stores being shut down, and with no revenues generated from sales, the garment business was facing grim consequences. In particular, Abu Bakar had just stocked up his stores with a new shipment of inventory that was to be sold mostly in summer of that year. However, with stores being closed, the new inventory would have to lie in the warehouses until the business activities could resume. In the past, Abu Bakar’s family were financially comfortable in terms of money, as there was a constant flow of cash from store sales. In addition, all the 182 employees of the company would receive their salaries and bonuses by the first week of each new month. However, with no revenues from sales, the family business was now bracing for challenging times, with bank loans topping their worries followed by rental and utility expenses, and the livelihood and wellbeing of the 182 employees of 16 outlets. At this juncture, Abu Bakar was not sure how he would deal with the situation. Abu Bakar and his brothers then decided to call a meeting with the most senior employees of the company. Many of these employees had served in the firm for over a decade, and held the family in high regard. Among them was the general manager of the company Ammar Zaharuddin, who had been with the company as a non-family employee for the last 22 years. Ammar enjoyed the trust of the owners and also the employees, as he was a highly proactive and empathetic manager, with deep insights into the business. In the meeting of the senior level managers, Ammar asked the owners what it would take for them to survive for at least one year, with the assumption that it would take that long for business operations to return to normal. The discussions focused on the bank liabilities. Although the government had placed a temporary moratorium on debt repayments to banks, eventually the banks would eventually still demand for their repayments. The issue of rental payments for the premises that were on rent, and the issue of owners of those premises facing difficulties also emerged. Finally, they raised the issue of the future of the 182 employees, on whether they would be retrenched or their salaries would be put on hold. Ammar asked the owners to give him seven days to come up with a solution. The next day, Ammar arranged an online meeting with all the store managers and supervisors to explain to them the dilemma. Along with this, he placed a proposal that if each employee could pledge a certain amount of funds for the company as a

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loan for a year, then the company would repay them back. The following day the store managers and supervisors developed an internal campaign through a Facebook platform created for employees of the company titled, “We are All In it Together”. Under this initiative, employees were requested put in at least 10% of their annual gross salary as loan to the company for a period of one year. In that case, the company’s management would not lay off any employees. However, until operations resume, all employees would receive 60% of their current salaries. Once business was back to normal, the employees would not only receive their full salaries, but also the 40% that was not paid during the crisis period, in instalments. In this way, employees were being asked to sacrifice a good part of their existing cashflow, plus arranging additional funds for the employer from their own savings. Of course, it was understood that not everyone would be able to contribute, hence it was decided that participation was voluntary. Considering the good reputation of Abu Bakar, which had been earned during the floods in 2018, the response from the employees was positive. In a matter of just one week, from the launching of the campaign, the company received an average of MYR 6,300 per employee, which came to MYR 1,146,600 (Malaysian Ringgit). This fund was set aside by the company to sustain essential expenses of all employees for nine months, for repayment of part of the bank liabilities when the moratorium ended, and for payment of rents of stores premises. Today, after the relaxation of business activities, the family business has survived, and the wellbeing of the employees had not been sacrificed. The reciprocity between owners and employees in family owned businesses, during a crisis situation, is a unique source of competitive advantage enjoyed by family businesses. This offers a type of resilience that is usually not found in other forms of organizations. Habbershon and Williams (1999) have coined this phenomenon as: “familiness”, which is a unique source of organisational strength that is created by close interaction between the owning family of the business and their key stakeholders such as employees, suppliers, non-family shareholders, and the community they operate in. The family’s social and emotional capital was derived from this familiness, which provided the family firm with a support network that is not typically found in a non-family enterprise (Razzak et al., 2022). The case of Abu Bakar’s family business co-creating a solution with the support of the employees, aimed at looking after the wellbeing of employees themselves, and also the survival of the organisation through a severe crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, is an ideal example of how familiness provides unique organisational resilience to family firms.

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5.6 When the Going Gets Tough, Family Firms Are the Safest Places to Work An exhaustive survey of family-owned businesses in various parts of the world had been conducted by the international consulting firm: KPMG, in 2021. Its aim was to determine the impact of COVID-19 on various factors related to behaviour and performance outcomes of small and medium-sized family businesses in 38 countries. One of the components of this study was to identify how these organisations dealt with employees’ wellbeing, and the perception of employees regarding the treatment of the management’s treatment during the crisis. The report showed that majority of the employees claimed that family firms were safe places to work, because the emotion of caring for family members often extended to the employees of the organisation (KPMG, 2021). In another study by Miller and Miller (2022), the authors examined Canadian family firms in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. They found that majority of the family firms exhibited exemplary citizenship behaviour by temporally embracing social priorities, excelling in four areas—adaptability, flexibility, agile decisionmaking, and commitment to the community. The authors explained that temporal socially desirable behaviour, such as “managing for the long-run, with focus on benefits for all stakeholders—employees, suppliers, customers, and the community at large” (p. 2) was displayed. Such qualities drive long-term orientation that translates into unusual levels of resilience, strong relations with employees, ability to take rapid decisions, and close ties with the community at large. The study cited the actions taken by Canadian Goose, a coat manufacture that immediately provided employees and their families with an unlimited supply of personal protection gear. The company referred to their value statement comprising of 4 Cs: command, continuity, connection and community. Towards the end of 2020, the consulting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) conducted a study on Malaysian family firms during COVID-19, and found that many of these firms took extraordinary steps to protect their employees during the height of the pandemic. The companies that were allowed to continue business operations as essential business services took remarkable precautions to ensure their employees’ wellbeing and safety. For instance, the study discussed a cluster of family firms in Negeri Sembilan, which is not too far from Kuala Lumpur, where the rate of outbreaks of infections in family-owned businesses was significantly less compared to other types of organisations. Furthermore, most employees working in these family firms were quickly quarantined with the help of public health officials, in order to protect the other employees. These extraordinary care for the employees’ safety was remarkable. In fact, the study asserted that family-owned enterprises were inherently resilient, and this resilience is embedded in their DNA (Lin & Kew, 2020). The resilience of family owned businesses during crisis periods, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, is underpinned by a deep commitment to values and purpose, rapid decision-making, and rock-solid commitment to their workforce and the

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community. These assertions are in alignment with the findings of Yong and Sia (2021), who conducted multiple case studies of Malaysian business organisations by examining the manner in which they were responding to the wellbeing of their employees and the society. The study reports both negative and positive outcomes. In terms of negative outcomes, they reported that the prolonged MCO (movement control order) from March 2020 had a significant impact on the mental and psychological wellbeing of most organizational employees in Malaysia. The positive aspects of this study showed that Malaysian family-owned firms responded to the crisis, especially in terms of providing the health of people entering their premises. For instance, the study mentioned that many family firms invested in expensive equipment, such as thermal scanners to screen health of people entering their premises, with the idea of ensuring wellbeing of their staff. Yong and Sia (2021) then concluded that family-owned companies have been the safest places to work for Malaysian employees.

5.7 Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 caused unprecedented disruptions in economic and social lives of people throughout the world (Mihotic et al., 2022). As the strain of the virus kept mutating leading to deadly consequences, a significant percentage of the world’s population and their lives were being jeopardised. As the public health authorities in most countries were figuring out what to do in the crisis (Donthu & Gustafsson, 2020), many also resorted to taking draconian measures, such as completely restricting all unessential movement of people, and closing down businesses and national borders. These measures had impacted business and society in a manner that no prior events in recent history could match (Bailey & Breslin, 2021). In terms of impact on businesses, it goes without saying that organisations of all sizes had to contend with the challenges imposed by the pandemic. Nonetheless, when compared to large organisations with relatively deeper pockets and wider financial clouts, the small businesses, particularly family-owned businesses were put in a more vulnerable position. Considering the fact that family-owned enterprises were predominantly the largest percentage of business enterprises around the world, with significant importance to economic growth and social stability (Bailey & Breslin, 2021), owners of such organisations were thus faced with a more daunting challenge (Standaert et al., 2022). Among the most difficult issue for family firms was their employees’ wellbeing. Studies that examined employees’ wellbeing during and in the aftermath of COVID-19, numerous empirical studies were mostly from researchers in the fields of medical science and clinical psychology (Brodeur et al., 2021). A relatively fewer number of empirical studies focused on employees’ wellbeing in family firms studies (Standaert et al., 2022). It appears that compared to rigorously peer-reviewed academic studies, industry research was mostly led by international consulting firms

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such as PwC, KMPG, Deloitte, and others. They had attempted to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted employees’ wellbeing in family-owned enterprises. Majority of the studies seem to be focused on European and North American family firms, among these studies, with a few examining Asian economies such as Malaysia (Wong et al., 2022). The cases noted in the preceding sections had presented Malaysian cases, which serve as anecdotal evidence on how family-owned businesses strived to ensure wellbeing of their employees. The first case presented the struggles faced by Fadzillah in Terengganu whose school uniform tailoring business came to a standstill. Yet, she went out of her way to protect the 23 women who worked in her establishment. She sacrificed the reserves her business had accumulated for expansion, and dedicated the funds to providing a constant stream of financial support to her employees whom she considered as important as her own family. Such extraordinary exhibition of family social capital is what gave family-owned businesses a humane character, as if they had a soul. The next story presented the seafood business of Mr. Wong in Penang. The owners of this family firm were fortunate that they did not have to shut down operations as the business fell under the classification of essential services. However, the owners had to contend with providing safety of the employees and their families. Mr. Wong and his siblings decided to employ the service of a public health expert to guide them in the process of creating a safe work environment so as to ensure the wellbeing of all their employees. Such measures demonstrate the family firm owners’ level of care for their employees. The subsequent case brought to light the challenges faced by Mr. Shivarao, a Malaysian-Indian businessman who had a thriving travel and tour business that was spreading its’ operations to other parts of the country. However, with the closure of all national borders in Malaysia from March 2020, the owners of the firm were looking at an abyss. Mr. Shivarao was blessed to have the support of his business association that reached out to create a special fund to protect the livelihoods of the employees working in all member travel and tour companies. Such solidarity is typical among family-owned enterprises. This makes them a good place to work, from an employees’ wellbeing perspective. The last case discussed was of Abu Bakar and his family’s business in Kuantan, Pahang. With multiple retail stores spread throughout the state, and more than half these on rented premises, and employees with 182 staff, the owners were in a perilous situation. Not knowing how to cope with the challenges, the owners banked on their social reputation and their goodwill with their employees, who provided develop a solution that was unheard of in most business circles. In this case, the managers of the company got together to support the company by seeking financial help from the employees so as to create a fund that can be used to ensure the survival of the organisation. In a very short time, the employees came together to build a fund of over one million in Malaysian currency. This unprecedented response was mainly due to the respect and regards that employees had for the family of Abu Bakar. Eventually, the organization made it out through the turmoil whilst ensuring wellbeing of both the employees and the owners.

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The discourse presented above, paints the picture of several family-owned business owners in Malaysia, and how they demonstrated significant empathy towards all their employees, by reaching out to them so as to ensure their financial and personal wellbeing. Such an outreach enabled many family firms to overcome dire economic circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the chapter, discussions are presented in a manner that draw comparison between the findings of these real-life cases with several theoretical constructs from the family business literature that argue that family business owners are more likely to go out of their way to make personal sacrifices to ensure wellbeing of all their employees.

References Allioui, A., Habba, B., & El Aziz, B. (2022). Investment policy of Moroccon family businesses in times of crisis: The role of cultural logics, family repuation and imitation effect. Journal of Family Business Management, (ahead-of-print). Antipova, T. (2020). Coronavirus pandemic as black swan event. Integrated Science in Digital Age, 13(6), 356–366. Antipova, T. (2021). Coronavirus pandemic as black swan event. In T. Antipova (Eds.), Integrated science in digital age 2020. ICIS 2020. Lecture notes in networks and systems (Vol. 136). Switzerland: Springer, Cham. Bailey, K., & Breslin, D. (2021). The COVID-19 Pandemic: What can we learn from past research in organizations and management. International Journal of Management Review, 23, 3–6. Ballesteros-Leiva, F., Poilpot-Rocaboy, G., & St-Onge, S. (2017). The relationship between lifedomain interactions and the wellbeing of internationally mobile employees. Personnel Review, 26(2), 237–254. Bauweraerts, J., & Colot, O. (2013). How do family firms deal with crisis? International Advances in Economic Resource, 19, 313–314. Berrone, P., Cruz, C., & Gomez-Mejia, L. R. (2012). Socioemotional wealth in family firms theoretical dimensions, assessment approaches, and agenda for future research. Family Business Review, 25(3), 258–279. Brodeur, A., Gray, D., Islam, A., & Bhuyian, S. (2021). A literature review of the economics of COVID-19. Journal of Economic Surveys, 25(4), 1007–1044. Christensen-Salem, A., Mesquita, L. F., Hashimoto, M., Hom, P.W., & Gomez-Mejia, L. R. (2021). Family firms are indeed better places to work than non-family firms! Socioemotional wealth and employees’ perceived organizational caring. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 12(1), (ahead-of-print). Diener, E. (2009). Subjective wellbeing. In The science of wellbeing, pp. 11–58. Springer. Donthu, N., & Gustafsson, A. (2020). Effects of COVID-19 on business and research. Journal of Business Research, 117, 284–289. Gomez-Mejia, L. R., Haynes, K. T., Nunez-Nickel, M., Jacobson, K. J. L., & Moyano-Fuentes, J. (2007). Socioemotional wealth and business risks in family-controlled firms: Evidence from Spanish olive oil mills. Administrative Science Quarterly, 52(1), 106–137. Habbershon, T. G., & Williams, M. (1999). A resource-based framework for assessing strategic advantage of family firms. Family Business Review, 12(1), 1–25. Huang, L. C., Ahlstrom, D., Lee, A. Y. P., Chen, S. Y., & Hsieh, M. J. (2016). High performance work systems, employee wellbeing, and job involvement: An empirical study. Personnel Review, 45(2), 296–314. Hubler, T. M. (2009). The soul of family business. Family Business Review, 22(3), 254–258.

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KPMG. (2021). Global family business report: COVID-19 edition. https://home.kpmg/au/en/home/ insights/2021/03/global-family-business-report-covid-19-edition.html Kindli, Y. M., Aboramadan, M., Elhamalawi, E. M. I., & Shahid, S. (2021). Employee psychological wellbeing and job performance: Exploring mediating and moderating mechanisms. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 29(3), 736–754. Lin, F. M., & Kew, L. S. (2020). Family business and COVID-19 Malaysia. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Report. https://www.pwc.com/my/en/assets/publications/2020/my-family-busine sses-and-covid-19.pdf McKinsey & Company. (2021). What employees are saying about the future of remote work. Retreived from: https://emplea.ceu.es/wp-content/uploads/what-employees-are-sayingabout-the-future-of-remote-work_vf.pdf Mihotic, L., Raynard, M., & Sincic, C. D. (2022). Bouncing forward or bouncing back? How family firms enact resilince in times of crisis. Journal of Family Business Management, (ahead-of-print). Miller, I. L., & Miller, D. (2022). Family businesses under COVID-19: Inspriing models—Sometimes. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 13(2), 154–177. Pwc Report (2021). Family Business and COVID-19 in Malaysia. PricewaterhouseCoopers report. https://www.pwc.com/my/en/assets/publications/2020/my-family-businesses-and-covid Razzak, M. R. (2022). Emotions, identity, social bonds and commitment to the family business: Moderating role of controlling generation. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, (ahead-of-print). Razzak, M. R., Khan, G. M., & AlAbri, S. (2022). Inclusion and employee engagement of nonfamily employees in family firms: Moderating influence of procedural justice. Journal of Family Business Management, 12(4), 708–728. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development and well-being. Amercian Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. Shen, H., Fu, M., Yu, Z., & Chen, Y. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on firm performance. Emerging Markets Finance & Trade, 56(10), 2213–2230. Smet, A. D., Dowling, B., Mugyar-Baldocchi, M., & Schanninger, B. (2021). ‘Great Attrition’ or ‘Great Attraction”? The Choice is Yours. McKinsey & Company. Standaert, W., Thunus, S., & Schoenaers, F. (2022). Virtual meetings and wellbeinf: Insights from the COVID-19 pandemic. Information Technology & People, (ahead-of-print). Wong, A., Olusanya, O., Parulekar, P., & Highfield, J. (2022). Staff wellbeing in times of COVID-19. Journal of the Intensive Care Society. 22(4), 328–334. Yong, S. S., & Sia, J. K. M. (2021).COVID-19 and social wellbeing in Malaysia: A case study. Current Psychology, pp. 1–15.

Chapter 6

The Cloud Over My Social Life

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic is sometimes referred to as a pandemic of social isolation because it has a crucial effect on people’s social interactions, with potential social ramifications. Although social isolation and loneliness have existed even before the pandemic, the issue had never been so rampant until the government issued the stay-at-home directive, with quarantine effects on those infected with the disease. The Movement Control Order (MCO) imposed by the government had also caused social separations among families and friends. This inadvertently, showed that the pandemic had contributed to the erosion of relationships and social connections among people, to the extent that many families, colleagues, and friends became increasingly disconnected from each other. This chapter seeks to understand the individuals’ perception on the consequences of social isolation, and whether or not this was perceived to be a boon or bane. The chapter further explores the implications of the pandemic associated with social isolation, and the re-entry anxiety experienced by employees. As nations around the world transit to an endemic state, this chapter discusses the role of individuals and organisations in reducing the re-entry anxiety, primarily from the social relationship perspective.

6.1 Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic is sometimes referred to as a pandemic of social isolation because it has a crucial effect on people’s social interactions, with potential social ramifications. Although social isolation and loneliness have existed even before the pandemic, the issue had never been so rampant until the government issued the stay-at-home directive, with quarantine effects on those infected with the disease. The Movement Control Order (MCO) imposed by the government had also caused social separations among families and friends. This inadvertently, showed that the pandemic had contributed to the erosion of relationships and social connections among people, to the extent that many families, colleagues, and friends became increasingly disconnected from each other. This chapter seeks to understand the individuals’ perception on the consequences of social isolation, and whether or not this was perceived to be a boon or bane. The chapter further explores the implications © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 R. Abu Bakar et al., Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Employee Well-being, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0432-7_6

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of the pandemic associated with social isolation, and the re-entry anxiety experienced by employees. As nations around the world transit to an endemic state, this chapter discusses the role of individuals and organisations in reducing the re-entry anxiety, primarily from the social relationship perspective.

6.2 The Apocalypse

Life appears frozen. Streets and public transports were deprived of the usual hustle and bustle. Only vehicles with special permission were allowed on the road. Eatery shutters were lowered, but grocers remained opened to allow for the urgent purchase of daily necessities. Even then, people walked in quickly, armed with masks, shields, and sanitizers while grabbing the essentials before swiftly leaving the venue. Eye contact was minimal, and distancing was maintained. No one says “bless you” when someone sneezes. Instead, other fellow human beings would be viewed suspiciously, especially if they coughed or sneezed under their mask. Defiant individuals who stubbornly insisted it was their right to roam free without masks were imposed with hefty fines. Has the apocalypse begun?

The scenario above sounds like something out of a movie about a pending apocalypse, or perhaps something more sinister, such as a zombie or alien invasion. In reality, this is the true picture of the many countries plagued by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. As it engulfed the world, almost everything came to a standstill. The wings of social interactions were clipped with restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus. It all began on 23 January 2020 when a lockdown was imposed by the central government of China in Wuhan and other cities in Hubei (BBC, 2021). While other nations of the world remained sceptical with China’s strict lockdown initiative to contain the spread of the virus, the harsh strategies bore fruit for China, following which the country reported zero local transmissions two months later (The Guardian, 2020). Although some governments raised doubt about the statistics (BBC, 2021), the success of China’s harsh yet effective lockdown measures were influential in guiding other nations in implementing similar measure, albeit less brutal (The Guardian, 2020). The success story of China coupled with recommendations from other global public health agencies like the World Health Organisation (WHO) was then implemented and social distancing was embraced as the ideal strategy to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (Banerjee & Rai, 2020). Fundamentally, the world became more isolated with multiple contact restrictions being imposed, and with that, the pandemic paved the path for social isolation of people.

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6.3 COVID-19: The Rise of the Pandemic of Social Isolation

The business of business is relationships, the business of life is human connections. Robin Sharma (n.d.)

As noted above, Robin Sharma succinctly highlights the pertinence of human connection but sadly, the pandemic has robbed almost everybody in the world of this important form of connection. While social isolation is deemed as the distancing of people from one another, extended social isolation imposed by the lockdown diminishes even more social relationships and personal contacts among human beings (Pietrabissa & Simpson, 2020). The outcome of the pandemic had not only ripped relationships, it had also torn apart the social fabric of the society. While the social distancing guidelines set by the Movement Control Order (MCO) were meant to reduce the transmission of the disease, it had inadvertently restricted the connections people have with one another, hence increasing social isolation and loneliness (Buecker & Horstmann, 2021). Limited contact with others (family, friends, coworkers) was highlighted as the key challenge arising from the pandemic (Ashenden, 2021; Maison et al., 2021). Due to the isolation, people were unable to express their affections, concerns, and social support in the way they used to prior to the emergence of COVID-19 (Maison et al., 2021). Physical interactions were encumbered with facial coverings, saddled by the extent of quarantine (Buecker & Horstmann, 2021). Consequently, the social distancing strategies led to the closure of all avenues for social get-togethers, such as libraries, pubs, cinemas, sporting events and so on (Razai et al., 2020). These closures compounded the social isolation even more because people could not extend help and support during crisis like they could before the pandemic. For illustration purposes, even funerals were restricted. Relatives and friends could only pay their last respect to loved ones via Zoom or online meetings. No friend could be by the side of those who needed their moral support, or even help with the rituals. Condolences were conveyed virtually. In brief, everyone involved was emotionally powerless as they were confined in the four-walls of their homes devoid of any social interaction (Kruglanski et al., 2021). When they needed to venture out, they were urged to maintain physical distance of at least six metres from others (Killgore et al., 2020). The professional front also suffered when professional isolations were likewise imposed due to remote work practices (Allen et al., 2015; Gajendran & Harrison, 2007). Employees had to switch to Work from Home (WFH) (Toscano & Zappalà, 2020; Killgore et al., 2020) due to the social confinements enforced by the government. Employees not only had to adopt new ways of working within a short time, they were also expected to maintain their professional relationships with colleagues and other stakeholders via virtual platforms such as Zoom, Google meet and so on. Regardless of technological solutions used to maintain professional relationships, disconnection from colleagues remained a major challenge (Sweet, 2021). This was

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emphasised by one third of employees (33%) stressing the dearth of social interaction with co-workers whereas 22% felt disengaged from happenings in their organisations (Ashenden, 2021). Remote working also contributed to the social isolation of employees who were confined at home. About 20% of the respondents reported of clashes happening between their homes and the work front (Ashenden, 2021). This implies that employees inadvertently felt isolated from their families when they increasingly experienced the blurring boundaries between work and home (Rodzi, 2021). The demands for restrictions on in-person interactions also influenced the quality and quantity of social relationships (Buecker & Horstmann, 2021). Quality of relationship refers to the essence of the interaction (Buecker & Horstmann, 2021). For instance, coronavirus related discussion may intervene some of work-related conversations of employees and not everyone was keen to engage in such topics of conversation (Liu, 2020). This adversely affected the quality of social interaction. On the other hand, the quantity of relationship refers to the number of social interactions, which was reported to be waning during the early stages of the pandemic (Buecker & Horstmann, 2021). Nonetheless, over time, people found alternative ways to maintain the frequency of their social interaction with others. To illustrate, during the pandemic, some organisations offered slots during the working hours which permitted co-workers to connect, to communicate their thoughts and to offer support to each other (Liu, 2020). Some of these practices include video chatrooms which were provided to emulate watercooler chats, followed by trivia game sessions, virtual happy hours, virtual treasure hunts, online fitness workouts and so on (Liu, 2020; Looi, 2021). While these practices cannot replicate the quality of social connections derived from in-person interactions, such practices could explain the underlying reason for the declining reports on the reduction in quantity of social interactions over time and the returning of the frequency of interactions to some level of normalcy (Buecker & Horstmann, 2021). Basically, the mismatch between desired level versus the actual level of social contact had been blamed for the increased social isolation and loneliness lurking within people (Banerjee & Rai, 2020; Buecker & Horstmann, 2021; Razai et al., 2020; Klein, 2020). While the quantity of social interactions was returning towards pre-COVID levels, the quality of social contact remained a concern (Buecker & Horstmann, 2021) since virtual interaction was no substitute for in-person interactions (mpw5189, 2021). As Professor Waldinger stated, “seeing colleagues via Zoom is not the same” (Sweet, 2021). In fact, virtual social interactions were perceived as superficial in nature, lacking the substance the pre-COVID social interactions held. This is because it engenders a profound disengagement amongst individuals living on their own, or with limited access to sufficient social networks (Pietrabissa & Simpson, 2020). In a nutshell, human connection is important, hence the absence of it creates loneliness, as portrayed in the poem of Joe Straynge (n.d.) below.

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Human connection is the most vital aspect of our existence, without the sweet touch of another being we are lonely stars in an empty space waiting to shine gloriously. Joe Straynge (cited in Davis, n.d.) (Writer, Poet)

6.4 Socialising During the Pre and Post Pandemic: The Malaysian Experience 6.4.1 Pre-COVID Socialising: Malaysian Style Malaysia has been described as a collectivist nation (Hofstede Insight, 2022) where members of the society interact and experience a greater sense of connectedness (Powell et al., 2009). Such values shape how Malaysians interact with others, both in society and the workplace. Malaysia is a nation whose people’s interactions reflect that of a close-knit society characterised by interdependence among society members. As a community, cohesive relationships are fostered and maintained with other members within their social circles (e.g., family and friends) (Hofstede Insight, 2022). For instance, family means everything to the people, and the culture of ziarah-menziarahi or visiting each other (without appointments) is synonymous with Malaysian families (Mohd Yusof, 2017). This involves weekly or perhaps monthly visits or social gatherings of sort among family and friends. Similarly, hanging-out with friends with just a shout out “Jom, mamak!”1 or “Yum Cha”2 is a norm. This is an impromptu get-together session for a quick socialising while enjoying good food and company (The Sun, 2017). The accepted values and accepted behaviours of the Malaysian’s socialising culture is even observable at the workplace. Running into colleagues with the Malaysian common phrase of “Sudah makan?”3 is a normal way of opening a conversation. “Makan” is a unifying term that bring colleagues together through spontaneous lunch dates. Tea breaks are also evident with employees lounging in the office pantry for a quick exchange of ideas, or to merely blow off steam and perhaps engage in some office gossips while sipping “Teh Tarik”.4 Some meet for after-hours socialising to unwind by just watching a football match on the large television screens at mamak 5 stalls. This norm allows strangers to get to know each other better or to 1

Malaysian slang for “Let’s hang-out at a restaurant or stall that serves Indian Muslim food. Malaysian slang for “Let’s hang out for drinks local coffee shops. 3 Asking someone “Have you eaten?” in Malaysia. 4 Sweet tea with milk, prepared by pouring the liquid back and forth to create rich, frothy drink. 5 Stalls or restaurants that sells Indian Muslim food in Malaysia. 2

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just enjoy the company of colleagues who are their friends outside of work as well. During dine-outs, topics of their conversation would be peppered with discussions about events at work or just the usual banter about anything that interests them (The Sun, 2017). Fundamentally, socialising in the Malaysian style encompasses 3Cs—great cuisine, companionship, and conversation. These 3Cs are signature characteristics of the Malaysians’ socialising lifestyle prior to the pandemic. Unfortunately, all these were adversely affected with the unprecedented advent of COVID 19 and the pandemic, also been dubbed as the pandemic of social isolation, has since affected the Malaysians’ social lifestyle.

6.4.2 Post-COVID—The Advent of Social Isolation in Malaysia From 18 March 2020, Malaysia adopted a similar strategy imposed by many countries to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The Movement Control Order (MCO) was initiated in response to the impending spread of COVID-19 (Bernama, 2021). The MCO restricted social movements and heightened social distancing among people in the bid to manage the spread of this novel virus. While MCO implemented the general social distancing of people, Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) was also imposed in several areas with high number of cases to curb the spread of the virus (Bernama, 2021). The MCO was imposed and extended a few times before the order shifted to lighter measures such as Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), until finally the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) (Bernama, 2021). The MCO and CMCO halted interstate travelling while institutions such as non-essential industries as well as educational institutions were physically being closed. In line with government restrictions, all organisations had to undergo several changes that impacted their operational efficiency, financial standings, as well as employment relationships. In terms of operational efficiency, organisations were unable to operate at pre-COVID levels of efficiency, and non-essential sectors were not allowed to operate. Nonetheless, some sectors obtained permission to continue operating on the condition of only engaging a staff strength of 50% or less (Sunil, 2020). Some organisations resorted to allowing staff to work from home (WFH). However, WFH arrangements were not a smooth transition with only 27% of businesses having less than 5% of their personnel working from home, compared to 31.7% of businesses having only 5–10% of staff strength. Only 17% of businesses had more than 10–20% of employees working from home (Sunil, 2020). Naturally, with the diminished staff strength, the financial standings of these organisations were adversely impacted, and revenue dropped by more than 50% (Sunil, 2020). The MCO, CMCO, and the EMCO has affected professional as well as personal relationships at work. The implications derived from the government-imposed control order had impacted employer-employee relationship as well as co-worker relationship. Traditionally, an employment relationship is defined as employers

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providing payment for services rendered by employees (King, 2020). However, the social restriction imposed by the pandemic affected such employment relationship. While businesses struggled to keep their operations afloat with no income (Sunil, 2020), employers were also expected to take care of their employee’s welfare. The government had emphasised that organisations need to look into the welfare of their employees during this period of uncertainty. No lay-offs were allowed, wages should be fulfilled, and annual leave cannot be forced unless mutually agreed upon (Conventus Law, 2020; Thavarajah, 2020). Organisations were instead encouraged to take other cost cutting measures, such as freezing new recruitments, limiting overtime, or avoiding new ventures (Thavarajah, 2020). While the government directive was a noble effort in protecting employees, businesses were trapped by the lack of activity. They had to resort to cost-cutting measures, such as reducing headcount, implementing pay-cuts, forcing employees to apply for annual leave, imposing unpaid leave, removing some of the benefits, and reducing workloads or workhours (Sunil, 2020). Employers felt that it was fair to resort to such measures especially when employees were no longer able to provide the same level of services during the lockdown. From a business point of view this cost-cutting measures seemed reasonable, but employees viewed these pandemic triggered workplace interruptions differently. They perceived these as a violation of psychological contract which was interpreted as a commitment undertaken by the organisation to preserve the employment relationship (Gong & Sims, 2023). “Psychological contracts represent people’s interpretation of verbal and written agreement, as well as their expectations of the organisation based on observation of historical patterns” (Lopez & Fuick, 2021, p. 45). There are primarily two types of psychological contracts—transactional and relational, with different types of psychological contracts varying according to cultural context. In a predominantly collectivist culture, there is a clear reliance on relational psychological contract where “broad, long-term, socio-emotional obligations such as commitment and loyalty” are important considerations (Thomas et al., 2010, p. 1438). In other words, collectivist employees tend to interpret the employers’ obligations in relational terms, where employers are expected to be responsible towards employees, and to care for their wellbeing, despite the company’s position (Ravlin et al., 2012). In line with the work of Thomas et al. (2010) and Ravlin et al. (2012), it is thus expected that Malaysian employees who are mostly collectivist would expect their organisations to place care on their wellbeing. For instance, they expect financial security (Cheong, 2021) and job security (Ranstad, 2020), especially during the pandemic. They also expect work-life balance which would promise better mental health (Cheong, 2021). However, during the pandemic, organisations were unable to fulfil such obligations. Many were driven to impose measures that threatened the financial wellbeing, job security, and mental wellbeing of their workforce. Hence. when organisations reneged on the promises made to their employees, especially during the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees perceived such act as a breach of psychological contract (Gong & Sims, 2023). A breach of psychological contract risks employees’ trust in their employers (Gong & Sims, 2023). Psychological contract breach was also noted when employees were asked to WFH. Prior to the pandemic, employees were made to believe that they were equivalent partners and assets of the company (Jacobs, 2022) and many were elated when

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first told to WFH (Rodzi, 2021). However, the pandemic revealed the dark side of employers. Urgent requests were made by superiors beyond stipulated working hours (Rodzi, 2021). While this did not violate the terms of contract, it encroached into the personal lives of the employees (Rodzi, 2021). Additionally, employers revealed that they did not trust their employees who were on WFH arrangement. These employees were even forced to provide evidence that they were indeed working (e.g., sharing screen or sharing their live location through their working hours) (Jacobs, 2022; Rodzi, 2021). Attempts to highlight the matter to superiors failed when superiors ignored the pleas of the employees (Rodzi, 2021). As it so happened, with remote work, employers were disconnected from their employees. There were no more opportunities for spontaneous meetings at the office, and there were also lesser opportunities for employers to reach out to employees to as to understand how they are doing (Microsoft Malaysia, 2021). This inevitably widened the gap and led to the breakdown of professional relationship between employers and employees. Since relational psychological contracts were based on interdependent self-concepts, and it “depends more on long-term socio-emotional bonds among colleagues and supervisors” (Thomas et al., 2010), the breach of such obligation could potentially cause employees to feel isolated from the supervisors and the organisation. Professional relationships between co-workers had also been severely affected by the pandemic whilst work isolation imposed by the MCO had caused interpersonal interactions with co-workers to decline, and socialising became a virtual affair as depicted through screens and virtual platforms (Maison et al., 2021; Wiederhold, 2022). Despite the decline in quality of interaction, virtual interactions helped to sustain some work life interactions between co-workers, particularly with close team members (Microsoft Malaysia, 2021). In fact, on a global degree, it appears that meetings had more than doubled in frequency while the number of emails sent and received including chats, also increased (The Work Trend Index, 2021). When these exchanges were analysed, it appears that the quantity of social interactions at work did not show a significant decline when compared to pre-COVID days. Besides affecting professional relationships, the MCO, CMCO, or EMCO had also hurt personal relationships at work. On one hand, all these restrictions could possibly be translated into one thing—the death of socialising Malaysian style. Microsoft Malaysia (2021) reported that, in line with remote work, teams were becoming more siloed. About 58% of Malaysian employees mentioned that they experienced decreased interactions with their co-workers outside their immediate team (Microsoft Malaysia, 2021). This literally meant that there were no in-person socialisations, both at work and beyond. There was no more “mamak” or “yum cha” sessions with co-workers. On the other hand, there seemed to be some thriving in personal relationships among co-workers. It seemed that their personal relationships with co-workers flourished even though WFH remote work had challenges. Coworkers found new avenues to foster authentic relationships with each other. Virtual channels seemed to have opened the opportunity for some to share their emotions with their colleagues (22%) whereas others were welcomed into the personal space of co-workers when they met the family (26%), and pets (14%) of their co-workers (Microsoft Malaysia, 2021). Figure 6.1 traces the interconnectedness between government-imposed restrictions, organisational outcomes, and workplace relationships, and the trickledown

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Fig. 6.1 The advent of social isolation for employees: Interconnectedness between governmentimposed restrictions, organisational outcomes, and workplace relationship

effect to the social isolation experienced by employees. The focus of this chapter is thus on the implications of the social life of employees at work. Fundamentally, the gap observed between pre versus post pandemic socialisation experiences at work, influenced the perception of social isolation among employees. While the social restriction measures were expected to pave the way for social isolation and increased loneliness, the experiences felt within the Malaysian and global context showed a mixed outcome. This implies that the pandemic containment techniques adopted by the government may have created different social effects, especially in different cultural contexts (Beucker & Horstmann, 2021). Based on this, it is thus important to explore the impact of the social isolation which the pandemic had induced at work in Malaysia. Such social isolation may be a boon for some while a bane for others. Since social isolation is not confined to work based social isolation, the following sections will discuss the different effects of social isolation for individuals in general followed by its implications on employees’ wellbeing.

6.5 A Boon: A Silver Lining in the Dark Cloud While most people found the transition to life curbed with social restrictions extremely difficult (Kruglanski et al., 2021; Wiederhold, 2022), others were less perturbed by these restrictive measures. Some had observed their social connections

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to be improving whereas others witnessed a sudden deterioration (Sweet, 2021). The way some people appreciated the silver lining in the dark cloud of the COVID-19 can be better explained by three main factors: (1) personality; (2) motivational factor and (3) behavioural factor (Ozcelik, Beetz, & Barsade, 2020).

6.5.1 Personality In terms of personality, introversion offers a shield for people to deal with the stress of social isolation (Wong, 2020, Strausbaugh, 2021). In fact, people found humour in introversion through funny quotes such as the following 6 ,7 ,8 :

Introverts: Doing the social distancing thing before it was cool

Dear extroverts, you will survive this. Dear introverts quit laughing! They’re new to this social distancing.

2020 – The year of the introvert.

6

https://www.etsy.com/listing/777230814/funny-shirt-introverts-humor-quote. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/328199891600133490/. 8 https://www.etsy.com/listing/850038408/2020-the-year-of-the-introvert-social. 7

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Besides humour, it is important to acknowledge that introverts did not welcome the pandemic. They were aware of the insecurities and trauma accompanying the pandemic. However, they did not mind the induced social distancing caused by the pandemic (Strausbaugh, 2021). Studies found that introverts fared better despite the social isolation as they were allowed to function within their comfort zone with minimal engagement with the world (Strausbaugh, 2021). Social isolation gave the introverts the space they crave to recharge and process information (Wong, 2020). In addition, introverts did not feel guilty about their lack of engagement with others as everyone was facing the same “predicament” (Strausbaugh, 2021). There were other possible personality dimensions which could foster the positive perception of the pandemic induced social isolation. Although there is limited published empirical evidence to support the impact of these dispositional nature on the management of loneliness during the pandemic, there are some studies underway (e.g., Ozcelik, Beetz, & Barsade, 2020). Resilience was identified as a possible dispositional factor that could elucidate people’s reaction towards social isolation. People who were resilient did not necessarily perceive social isolation in a negative light (Ozcelik et al., 2020). It is believed that their resilience enabled them to buffer feeling of loneliness, hence helped them to better cope with the implication of social isolations. For instance, resilience was reported to moderate the negative effect of loneliness on employee stress and exhaustion, albeit the effect being more pronounced in the case of low loneliness, and not in the case of severe loneliness (Mäkiniemi et al., 2021). In the case of severe loneliness, it was implied that personal resources such as resilience may need to be accompanied by social resources (Mäkiniemi et al., 2021).

6.5.2 Motivational Factor Ozcelik et al. (2020) hypothesised that employees’ prosocial motivation would enhance employees’ ability to connect with their co-workers. Prosocial motivation is guided by moral principles toward achieving altruistic objectives (Oliveira-Souza et al., 2015). The adoption of a prosocial drive fosters unity with others; it also helps others to cope with the challenges of the pandemic (Kruglanski et al., 2021). This is anticipated to avert loneliness throughout the pandemic induced social isolation (Ozcelik et al, 2020).

6.5.3 Behavioural Factor Pre-pandemic socialisation patterns also influenced how people reacted towards the pandemic induced social isolation. As delineated by Bu, Steptoe and Fancourt (2020), individuals with higher loneliness level prior to the lockdown, reported an increase of loneliness during the lockdown when compared to others who had lower level or midlevel baseline of loneliness. Despite the social isolation, those who had close friends

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and high levels of perceived social support were less lonely during the pandemic (Bu et al., 2020). Based on this, it could be implied that people who were not lonely prior to the pandemic, were able to maintain their connection with their social network despite the interruption to in-person contact (Sweet, 2021). In fact, it appears that people invested a great deal of effort in sustaining the connection they had before the pandemic (Sweet, 2021).

6.6 A Bane: The Fear of Being Left Alone Fundamentally, the abovementioned group of people were able to view the silver lining of the cloud over their social life. It can be implied that similar experiences were noted among employees, and this did not adversely affect their wellbeing. However, albeit the possible positive perception about the pandemic induced social isolation, there was also another side to the experience. Not everyone viewed social isolation from rose-tinted lens, not everyone deemed it as a space for them to recharge, and not everyone found the transition to virtual connection an easy one. Some had found the pandemic induced social isolation to be a dark cloud that shadowed their social life. In other words, a bane to be reckoned with. Generally, employees seek to fulfil their need of belongingness at work through regular and cordial interactions with co-workers and this is exemplified by sustained care (Andel et al., 2021; Becker et al., 2022). However, the absence of habituated in-person social connections had led to prolonged loneliness (Andel et al., 2021; Banerjee & Rai, 2020; Becker et al., 2022; Killgore et al., 2020; Klein, 2020). Prepandemic established work relations were on shaky grounds, and so the implementation of WFH initiatives and disconnection from the organisation increased workplace loneliness (Andel et al., 2021). With remote work, employees lacked the opportunity to interact with their team and supervisor, hence causing them to feel detached from the organisation (Toscano & Zappalà, 2020). Employees also felt that virtual communication deprived them of the human connection (Ali, 2021) as their workplace interactions were devoid of non-verbal cues that normally would have injected meanings to their conversations (Ozcelik et al., 2020). Increased loneliness resulting from extended solitude had negatively impacted the individual’s wellbeing. People began experiencing poor physical, mental, and emotional well-being (Banerjee & Rai, 2020; Pietrabissa & Simpson, 2020; Killgore et al., 2020; Ingram et al., 2020; Hwang et al., 2020) as well as declining performance (Toscano & Zappalà, 2020). In terms of mental and emotional health, it appears that mental health problems in Malaysia had doubled since the pandemic (Jamal, 2021). Between November 28 and December 1, 2020, the Malaysian Ministry of Health reported getting 43,000 calls on its Psychological First Aid hotline (Jamal, 2021). Similarly, Mercer’s (2020) study reported that 36% of employees who worked

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remotely struggled with their mental health as a result of social isolation and financial anxiety. In short, there was a surge in mental health issues during the pandemic. People experienced heightened depressions, suicidal thoughts, anxiety as well as despair (Banerjee & Rai, 2020; Ingram et al., 2020; Jamal, 2021). Some also experienced low self-esteem and inferiority complex (see Ingram et al., 2020). Workplace loneliness resulted in heightened stress, exhaustion (Becker et al., 2022; Mäkiniemi et al., 2021) and lower work-life balance (Becker et al., 2022). The prevalence of physical ailments was also noted (Banerjee & Rai, 2020) as physical wellbeing was adversely affected during the pandemic due to behavioural changes such as lower physical activities (Hwang et al., 2020). Besides behavioural changes, the above stated mental and emotional anguish (Jamal, 2021) coupled with smaller social network also aggravated the physical ailments experienced (Hwang et al., 2020). People frequently addressed physical issues brought on by stress and anxiety as though they have no connection to mental health (Jamal, 2021). However, it is a fact that poor mental and emotional health usually manifests itself through diminished physical wellbeing. Loneliness was thus associated with increased physical ailments, such as autoimmune conditions, obesity, cardiovascular disorders, and elevated blood pressure (see Banerjee & Rai, 2020; Hwang et al., 2020). Studies also reported that there were more low self-rated physical conditions, mental decline, and diminished sleep efficiency (see Ingram et al., 2020; Hwang et al., 2020). In brief, the pandemic induced social isolation had cultivated feelings of loneliness that had unfavourably affected people’s emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing. The detachment from team members and supervisor was perceived as a job demand which eventually decreased employees’ remote work productivity as well as satisfaction (Toscano & Zappalà, 2020). Inevitably, employees’ efficiency and mental processes were impeded by these issues (Ali, 2021).

6.7 Post-COVID: The Re-Entry Anxiety It has been more than two years since COVID-19 affected the world and our country. While some found solace within the two years of social restriction, others experienced two years of social isolation and loneliness. Thus, when the restrictions were lifted and employees were called to return to work, we expected most employees to welcome the return to normal. Instead, there were two sides to the story, with the easing of the movement restriction. While some employees welcomed the call to return to work, others experienced re-entry anxiety (Ducharme, 2020; Khalil, 2021; Wiederhold, 2022). The pandemic had inevitably portrayed in-person interactions as risky (Wiederhold, 2022). Consequently, social restrictions were perceived as a means to protect oneself from contracting the virus (Wiederhold, 2022). When months turned into

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years, limited in-person interactions were reinforced, and then it became a norm (Wiederhold, 2022). In this manner, when social restrictions were alleviated, people felt rational concerns, thus they questioned whether removing the limitation was the best course of action (Clayton & Hoyle, 2020; Khalil, 2021; Ritchie, 2021). People felt especially anxious as the likelihood of contracting the virus increased when people were in close proximity with each other in small areas (Ducharme, 2020; Khalil, 2021; Ritchie, 2021). The health risk associated with the pandemic consumed people’s mind and this adversely affected their ability to function outside their comfort zone (Ritchie, 2021). Besides the concerns about the health risks, people were also anxious about the social challenges of returning to face-to-face interactions. It can be said that people became comfortable over time when working at their own pace, with adequate privacy and limited interruptions (Strausbaugh, 2021; Wiederhold, 2022). This arrangement especially appealed to those with an underlying nature that aligns with the preference for social isolation. For example, those suffering from social anxiety prior to the pandemic (Epps, 2022), or introverts who were naturally comfortable with social distancing (Strausbaugh, 2021) would find remote work and isolation to be ideal. In this regard, some people would grapple with the challenge of returning to the social context of work (Epps, 2022). In other extremes, there were people who became comfortable with social isolation over time and would likewise experience re-entry anxiety (Epps, 2022). The call for employees to return to work could cause re-entry anxiety because this would mean having to return to socialising with lots of people again (Epps, 2022). This also means getting back into the rigmarole of work schedules, commuting to work, going out to meet clients and so on. Therefore, not every worker could adjust to the changes at the same rate (Khalil, 2021). Apparently, some employees also struggled with small issues, such as deliberating on what to wear, whereas others were anxious about navigating the social hierarchy all over again with hugs, handshakes, small talks, and social gatherings (Epps, 2022; Strausbaugh, 2021). This is a real struggle for many, hence their stressful experiences of re-entry anxiety. So, what can be done to alleviate such re-entry anxiety and revive the social butterflies at work?

6.8 The Rise of the Social Butterfly Reawakening the social life at work post pandemic requires the combined efforts of both organisations and employees. Figure 6.2 summarises the possible strategies than can be embraced by organisations and employees. Step 1: Acknowledge Your Fear It is essential for employees to acknowledge their fear of re-entry (Epps, 2022) because doing so means they are embracing their flaws. This step would mean that employees need to focus on how they perceive their anxiety. Avoidance is not the way

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Fig. 6.2 Strategies to alleviate re-entry anxiety

forward because it would aggravate the anxiety over time (Epps, 2022; Wiederhold, 2022). Based on this, it is pertinent for both employees as well as organisations to acknowledge the anxiety associated with the transition back to work, and to address this issue accordingly. Additionally, employers should maintain an open-door policy where employees can interact and share their concerns. This would enable employees to feel that they have a voice, and their concerns would be given due considerations in the formation of the new normal (Caprino, 2020). Step 2: Cognitive Framing While acknowledging one’s anxiety is essential, it is equally important to ensure that employees view the source of their anxiety rationally (Wiederhold, 2022). Irrational anxiety can further aggravate the fear, thereby causing their fear to spiral (Wiederhold, 2022). Individuals should frame their fears in a more positive manner. Ducharme’s (2020) interaction with Dr. Sultan, a clinical psychiatrist at Columbia University revealed that instead of focusing on the reasons which caused employees to fear returning to socialising, employees should highlight things about socialising that they missed from pre-pandemic socialising. This was dubbed as the moment of realisation that could alleviate re-entry anxiety (Ducharme, 2020). Employees should dismiss the irrational fear they have and learn to focus on more rational ones so as to facilitate the transition back to work (Wiederhold, 2022). Employees could do this in partnership with their employers (Caprino, 2020). Step 3: Exposure Therapy Exposure therapy, also known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, was delineated as a mechanism to confront sources of fear (Epps, 2022; Ducharme, 2020). This method highlights the gradual process of facing one’s fear instead of attempting to quell the anxiety head-on (Wiederhold, 2022; Epps, 2022). Individuals are thus encouraged to engage in social activities which can create anxiety for them (Epps, 2022) by taking baby steps (Ducharme, 2020).

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Employers, on the other hand, should support the transition, for example, instead of getting employees to come back to work immediately, and to engage in workrelated social interactions, employees should be encouraged to do so on a gradual basis. For instance, employers could stagger the return of employees or conduct meetings in small groups initially. Once they are comfortable, employers could then organise social events to celebrate the return to normalcy. Fundamentally, employers should foster a psychologically safe environment by providing a flexible transition back to work (Caprino, 2020), reflecting a move that facilitates the rise of the social butterflies at work, post-pandemic.

6.9 Conclusion

In a rush to return to normal, let’s use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to. Dave Hollis (2020) (New York Times best-selling author)

Although organisations may be in a hurry to return to the post-pandemic normal, employers should acknowledge their employees’ fear of work re-entry, and if possible, to address their source of anxiety. Their failure to extend the required support to their employees so as to allay their re-entry anxiety would defeat the purpose of bringing people back to work. In this regard, organisations would not be able to return to their pre-pandemic productivity unless they are able to make their employees have the psychological safety mentioned above.

References Ali, S. (2021, April 5). Covid-19: A pandemic of social isolation? The Express Tribune. https://tri bune.com.pk/story/2293321/covid-19-a-pandemic-of-social-isolation Allen, T. D., Golden, T. D., & Shockley, K. M. (2015). How effective is telecommuting? Assessing the status of our scientific findings. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(2), 40–68. Andel, S. A., Shen, W., & Arvan, M. L. (2021). Depending on your own kindness: The moderating role of self-compassion on the within-person consequences of work loneliness during the COVID19 pandemic. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 26(4), 276–290. Ashenden, A. (2021, January 27). Lack of social interaction tops remote work challenges. CMSWIRE. https://www.cmswire.com/employee-experience/lack-of-social-interactiontops-remote-work-challenges/ Banerjee, D., & Rai, M. (2020). Social isolation in COVID-19: The impact of loneliness. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 66(6), 525–527. BBC (2021, January 22). Wuhan lockdown: A year of China’s fight against the COVID pandemic. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-55628488

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Khalil, M. D. A. (2021. March 17). How to Manage Anxiety About Returning to Work After MCO, A Job Thing Blog. https://www.ajobthing.com/blog/how-to-manage-anxiety-about-returning-towork-after-mco Killgore, W. D., Cloonan, S. A., Taylor, E. C., & Dailey, N. S. (2020). Loneliness: A signature mental health concern in the era of COVID-19. Psychiatry Research, 290, 113117. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113117 King, L. (2020, July 28). Covid-19 and the employer-employee relationship. https://www.linkedin. com/pulse/covid-19-employer-employee-relationship-lexx-king/ Klein, E. (2020, March 12). Coronavirus will also cause a loneliness epidemic. Vox. https://www.vox.com/2020/3/12/21173938/coronavirus-COVID-19-social-distancing-eld erly-epidemic-isolation-quarantine Kruglanski, A. W., Molinario, E., & Lemay, E. P. (2021). Coping with COVID-19-induced threats to self. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 24(2), 284–289. Liu, J. (2020, March 25). Virtual happy hours, team yoga sessions: How co-workers are staying connected while they work from home. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/25/how-cowork ers-are-staying-connected-while-they-work-from-home.html Looi, S. (2021, Sept 13). One of Malaysia’s top employers ensures the welfare, health and wellbeing of employees are protected during the pandemic. Malay Mail. https://www.malaymail.com/ news/life/2021/09/13/one-of-malaysias-top-employers-ensures-the-welfare-health-and-wellbe ing-of/2005124 Lopez, P. D., & Fuiks, K. (2021). How COVID-19 is shifting psychological contracts within organizations. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 14, 45–49. Mäkiniemi, J. P., Oksanen, A., & Mäkikangas, A. (2021). Loneliness and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating roles of personal, social and organizational resources on perceived stress and exhaustion among Finnish university employees. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(13), 7146. Maison, D., Jaworska, D., Adamczyk, D., & Affeltowicz, D. (2021). The challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and the way people deal with them: A Qualitative Longitudinal Study, PLoS ONE, 16(10), e0258133. Mercer (2020, May 19). COVID-19 crisis is turning point for employee mental health in Asia. https://www.asean.mercer.com/newsroom/COVID-19-crisis-is-turning-point-for-emp loyee-mental-health-in-asia-my.html Microsoft Malaysia (2021, May 10). More than two-thirds of Malaysian employees want flexible remote work to stay, Microsoft research reveals. Microsoft Malaysia News Center. https://news. microsoft.com/en-my/2021/05/10/wtimalaysia2021/ Mohd Yusof, A. N. (2017, June 30). Budaya ziarah perkukuh silaturahim. Berita Harian. https:// www.bharian.com.my/taxonomy/term/61/2017/06/297433/budaya-ziarah-perkukuh-silaturahim Oliveira-Souza, R., Zahn, R., & Moll, J. (2015). Prosocial Motivation. Brain Mapping: An Encyclopedic Reference, 3, 35–27. Ozcelik, H., Beetz, A., & Barsade, S. (2020). Understanding an epidemic during a pandemic: A relook at work loneliness in time of COVID-19. In Academy of Management Conference (pp. 1–6). Mpw5189. (2020, September 21). The communication challenges companies face since COVID-19 hit. Olead 410: Leadership in a global context: cultural leadership blog. https://sites.psu.edu/glo bal/2020/09/21/the-communication-challenges-companies-face-since-COVID-19-hit/ Pietrabissa, G., & Simpson, S. G. (2020). Psychological consequences of social isolation during COVID-19 outbreak. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 2201. Powell, G. N., Francesco, A. M., & Ling, Y. (2009). Toward culture-sensitive theories of the work– family interface. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30(5), 597–616. Raj, M. R. (2021, March 4). COVID-19: Malaysian experts weigh in how to handle social anxiety and its impact during a pandemic. https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2021/03/04/COVID19-malaysian-experts-weigh-in-how-to-handle-social-anxiety-and-its-im/1954852

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Ravlin, E. C., Liao, Y., Morrell, D. L., Au, K., & Thomas, D. C. (2012). Collectivist orientation and the psychological contract: Mediating effects of creditor exchange ideology. Journal of International Business Studies, 43, 772–782. Ranstad. (2020, August 31). Job security tops employees’ priority in 2020. https://www.randstad. com.my/hr-trends/talent-management/job-security-tops-employees-priority-in-2020/ Razai, M. S., Oakeshott, P., Kankam, H., Galea, S., & Stokes-Lampard, H. (2020). Mitigating the psychological effects of social isolation during the covid-19 pandemic. BMJ, 369. https://doi.org/ 10.1136/bmj.m1904 Ritchie, E. C. (2021, July 2). How to deal with re-entry anxiety and post-pandemic stress. MedStar Health. https://www.medstarhealth.org/blog/how-to-deal-with-re-entry-anxiety-andpost-pandemic-stress Rodzi, N. H. (2021, June 22). Malaysians struggle with long WFH hours during COVID19 pandemic. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysians-strugglewith-long-wfh-hours-during-COVID-19-pandemic Sharma, R. S. (n.d.). Take care of your relationships and the money will take care of itself. https://www.robinsharma.com/article/take-care-of-your-relationships-and-the-moneywill-take-care-of-itself Sunil, P. (2022, April 22). Headcount freezes, layoffs, pay-cuts, and more: Malaysian employers on the impact of the MCO. Human Resources Online.net. https://www.humanresourcesonline.net/ headcount-freezes-layoffs-pay-cuts-and-more-malaysian-employers-on-the-impact-of-the-mco Strausbaugh, T. G. (2021, April 23). Introverts has an advantage during COVID-19, study finds. Introvert Dear. https://introvertdear.com/news/introverts-had-an-advantage-during-COVID-19study-finds/ Sweet, J. (2021, January–February). The loneliness pandemic: The psychology and social costs of isolation in everyday life. Harvard Magazine. https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2021/01/fea ture-the-loneliness-pandemic Thavarajah, T. (2020, March 31). The implications of MCO on employer-employee obligations. TheEdge. https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/implications-mco-employeremployee-obliga tions The Guardian. (2020, March 19). China’s coronavirus lockdown strategy: brutal but effective. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/19/chinas-coronavirus-lockdown-strategybrutal-but-effective The Sun. (2017. May 11). Time for a break. https://www.pressreader.com/malaysia/the-sun-mal aysia/20170511/page/22 The Work Trend Index. (2021, March 22). The next great disruption is Hybrid work—Are we ready? Worklab. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work Thomas, D. C., Fitzsimmons, S. R., Ravlin, E. C., Au, K. Y., Ekelund, B. Z., & Barzantny, C. (2010). Psychological contracts across cultures. Organization Studies, 31(11), 1437–1458. Toscano, F., & Zappalà, S. (2020). Social isolation and stress as predictors of productivity perception and remote work satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of concern about the virus in a moderated double mediation. Sustainability, 12(23), 9804. Wiederhold, B. (2022). Post-COVID Re-entry Anxiety: Off to work we go. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 25(7), 407–408. Wong, B. (2020, September 9). How introverts and extroverts handle the COVID-19 pandemic differently. Huffpost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/introverts-extroverts-covid-pandemic_l_5 f57bbbdc5b646e336620ef3

Chapter 7

The Perseverance Over Time

Abstract Since the pandemic, a rise in mental health issues has affected the world’s economy, public health emergencies, and organisational breakdown, among others. In particular, mental health issues carried severe economic repercussions. The loss on productivity, the increment in organisational issues, the impact on customers and society in general, far exceeded health care expenses. Further, all aspects of life, including school or work performance, relationships with peers, family and friends, and participation in society, were also significantly impacted by mental health issues. Indeed, mental health is an integral part of our wellbeing. In order to care for our wellbeing, our effort of persevering and continuing to work towards our objectives is utmost important, even though this may seem incredibly slow or uncertain. Our perseverance towards progress is pertinent for overcoming our challenges so that we attain an optimal level of wellbeing. These challenges cannot be overcome by a conventional state public health approach alone. It requires a holistic model that incorporates several stakeholders. This chapter discuss how relevant stakeholders can persevere and help to improve people’s wellbeing post COVID-19 from four different paradigms: (1) the individual, (2) the organisation, (3) the government, and (4) the society.

7.1 Introduction As of 18 September 2022, Malaysia had recorded a total of 4,818,890 confirmed cases and 36,312 deaths from COVID-19 (WHO, 2022). Since then, many families have been financially affected—some lost their loved ones, some lost their jobs, some strained their social relationships, and some had health deterioration. This fuelled a rise in mental health issues which also affected the world’s economy, public health emergencies, and organisational breakdown, among others. In particular, mental health issues carried severe economic repercussions. Anxiety and depression, two of the most prevalent mental health illnesses, cost the world economy $1 trillion annually (WHO, 2022). The loss on productivity, the increment in organisational issues, the impact on customers and society in general, far exceeded health care expenses. Further, all aspects of life, including school or work performance, © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 R. Abu Bakar et al., Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Employee Well-being, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0432-7_7

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relationships with peers, family and friends, and participation in society, were also significantly impacted by mental health issues. Indeed, mental health is an integral part of our wellbeing. Reminiscing the folktale of the tortoise and the hare story teaches us the importance of perseverance and continuing to work towards our objectives even though this may seem incredibly slow or uncertain. Our perseverance towards progress is pertinent for overcoming our challenges so that we attain an optimal level of wellbeing. These challenges cannot be overcome by a conventional state public health approach alone. It requires a holistic model that incorporates several stakeholders. The following sections discuss how relevant stakeholders can persevere and help to improve people’s wellbeing post COVID-19. Four different paradigms are involved: (1) the individual, (2) the organisation, (3) the government, and (4) the society.

7.2 The Individual: What Do I Do? We are what we are because we have been what we have been Sigmund Freud (Cited in Davidson, 2022)

A substantial part of the human life is work which offers a wealth of opportunities for people to realise their potential, and to find meaning in their lives. Part of the human life is reflected in the positive or negative experiences individuals go through at the workplace. These experiences are valuable for the individuals’ career growth because it enables them to learn and improve themselves, their skills, and knowledge. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the country, everyone was caught unaware, and this created disorder and confusion in our daily lives. Nevertheless, it has also taught us a valuable lesson about agility and adaptation which indirectly, shaped our identity, making us who we are today. Our identity is also composed of our character strength. This disposition displays the enduring positive aspects of ourselves; they are represented via our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). During the pandemic, many individuals had struggled to resolve issues, both at work and at home. During such struggles, our character strength would be the pinnacle on which we depend so as to overcome these struggles. In such contexts, one of the crucial things to do would be to identify the potential mechanisms which can facilitate our emotions and our thinking. These mechanisms can be viewed from two standpoints: the short term and the long term. In the short term, mindfulness can serve as a great tool for individuals’ wellbeing. Mindfulness is a process of ‘’openly attending, with awareness, to one’s present moment experience” (Creswell, 2017, p. 3). This means that instead of letting our minds wonder unintentionally, or instead of supressing our unpleasant emotions, we can learn to acquire a mindset of acceptance and openness towards our experiences without any judgement. To do so, we need to have a constant interest in ourselves and

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an attitude that welcomes such experiences even if they were challenging. The guru of mindfulness, Zinn (2017), posits that we all have the capacity to pay attention to our moment-to-moment experiences, and this capacity can be improved through many interventions or techniques, such as paying attention to what we do in the moment by slowing down, by accepting that our ability is limited and that we cannot solve every problem, by observing our emotions and thoughts, by remaining receptive and open to new ideas or situations, and by letting go of the things we cannot control. For example, a work-from-home mom could be struggling with the blurry boundaries between work and home life during the pandemic. Setting a restrictive schedule to work time and choosing appropriate hours to address home issues would enable these workers to organise their emotions better, get their thinking structured, and also gain a higher level of receptiveness to their situation and environment. These techniques can assist the individuals to become more aware of their thoughts, hence empowering them to control their spontaneous thoughts, feelings, and actions. Their capacity to become more mindful would indeed improve their mental health. In the long term, individuals with grit, i.e., the effort and stamina to accomplish anything, would thus be better able to sustain themselves. Duckworth and Gross (2014) had asserted that grit is a crucial and admirable quality, and it has been defined as enthusiasm and passion for long-term objectives. In the face of COVID19, and against the backdrop of ‘survival of the fittest’, the ability to acquire mindfulness would thus seem challenging. For instance, during the MCO, Malaysians were instructed to stay at home 24/7. People were only allowed to go out for the needful, such as food or medication. Even then, only one member per household was permitted. This practice caused many people to feel pressurised while the stress of being unable to go out and do the daily routines built up even more. During such moments, grit is essential. Grit is a personal quality that requires the individuals to focus on their long term goal which is to stay at home and to help to minimise the infections of COVID-19 during the MCO. At such times, people were comparatively less gritty, and more impatient, thus causing them to be easily discouraged. To develop and sustain grit, people need to practise perseverance and self-control so that they are better equipped to deal with the crises. Perseverance is closely related to how well one performs at work in the long run because the person has grit, and grittier individuals tend to be more resilient, and more willing to put in efforts in the face of adversity and failure (Duckworth & EskreisWinkler, 2013). Many studies (e.g. Kwon, 2021; Von Culin et al., 2014) have shown that perseverance is related to hard work, and it surpasses talent and intelligence. Individuals with perseverance do not abandon tasks easily; they are more likely to finish what they have started. They might even see their tasks as more meaningful, hence they are more passionate in their work as they forgo pleasure for the sake of greater good. Nonetheless, going through hard times during and post pandemic is not easy thus individuals with grit (perseverance and strength to work hard) would seem most likely to perform their work well besides having the ability to maintain their wellbeing.

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7.3 The Organisation: What Can Leaders and Peers Do? Not every individual is equipped to be resilient or to have grit, nonetheless, there are ways to strengthen oneself as what Mahatma Gandhi wrote: The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others Mahatma Gandhi (Cited in Love, 2021)

The ongoing crisis presented by COVID-19 has served as a timely reminder of the crucial role leaders around the world could play in addressing unforeseen events that threaten organisations. The support of the top management is needed more than ever to address this issue, in particular when anxiety and fear overwhelm all other emotions. Thus, employees would find it difficult to seek support. In this regard, communication is key to resolving these problems since coordination efforts and trust are vital. In order to be effective during a crisis, leaders need to evaluate information gathered from various sources while simultaneously being conscious of any personal biases they may have. For example, a leader who do not have children might be biased towards employees with children as opposed to those that do not. Being mindful that everyone experience crisis differently is crucial. Staying composed during these tough times would enable people to navigate the situation considerably better. Further, employees expect leaders to ‘know what to do’, to provide guidance and hope as opposed to quivering under pressure or responding impulsively. In order to fulfil their duties successfully, these leaders must therefore, offer their employees some coping mechanisms to deal with their insecurities. For example, keeping an open mind and being optimistic to major changes may help employees to be more agile and flexible. Meantime, a strong leadership can set the mode for employees to feel secure. A leadership style that engages in self-sacrificing behaviour, compassion, and genuine concern for employees’ wellbeing tend to serve as good role models for their employees. Essentially, this kind of leadership is more likely to save the organisation from further crisis besides safeguarding the wellbeing of the staff. Aside from leadership support, the encouragement of colleagues is equally important. These peers are important in the daily interactions, particularly when everyone is working from home. When peers check on colleagues’ progress at home or when colleagues hold online meetings among themselves, social isolation is greatly reduced. Peer support is important because it helps to reduce the grief of employees who had lost their loved ones, and this kind of peer support may change the group’s dynamic. Grief takes time, and so the encouragement provided by third parties would be most comforting. As the employees come together, they could talk and discuss their feelings, share their sorrows, and so be each other’s support system. This social capital is very much needed for a healthy recovery and better wellbeing of employees. Investing in the mental health of staff is the way forward for employers because the

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move could indeed reduce individual employee’s stress, thereby enhancing social development and performance and essentially, improve economic development.

7.4 The Government: What Can It Provide and Change? In the case of societies, the government involved needs to really think how it can build on the strength of its people. This was noted by Adam Smith as given below. No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable Adam Smith (Cited in Reisman, 1998)

As is evident, the COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented situation which had created a magnitude of problems for every community at large. The pandemic was particularly harsh on poor urban households, and with cases increasing every day in the past two years, it had also compounded inequality in urban areas (Yonzan et al., 2022). While jobs were unstable, a delayed job recovery also aggravated the issue in many developing nations, intensifying inequality in the labour market. At the beginning of the pandemic, children from lower-income families were in limbo as they could not find access to online learning opportunities during school closures. This had resulted in learning gaps which further impeded educational progress. In this regard, the government needs to play a crucial role in policy interventions that can focus on the disadvantaged, such as low wage earners, rural school children, and vulnerable households, to name a few. As an illustration, to reduce the learning gaps for online learning, the Malaysian government provided the low income groups called the B40 with laptops for online learning. This is because they were considered to be at the Bottom 40% among the wage earners in the country. The other levels were the Middle 40%, and the Top 20% (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2022). These income classifications were also used to group Malaysians according to their household income. Any form of intervention from the government is important because it would help to enable the vulnerable population to live in a reasonable way. Without government support, these categories of wage earners could fall below poverty line as they experience job losses, inadequate financial means, and deteriorating health conditions. Without some intervention from the government, these low wage earners are most likely to sink deeper into mental health issues. Thus, it is crucial that the government offers some kind of constant monitoring so as to protect the citizens’ wellbeing. In line with this, public officials and policy makers are thus expected to be responsive to the crisis situation, and in making decisions as transparent as possible so as to allay the fears of the public. Robinson et al. (2020) mentioned that for our modern society to work, there must be trust between the people and their governments. As an

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example, to get societal support and understanding during the COVID-19 pandemic, the public health department of Malaysia made announcements about the pandemic on a daily basis. This transparency is imperative in ensuring public compliance. Social media was also being used as the major platform to increase awareness, and to provide information for those needing help. A COVID-19 hotline was also made available by the Ministry of Health for those who need help. Most of the hotlines provided by the government offered consultation and counselling services to individuals in distress. On another note, people with mental health disorders frequently faced significant human rights infringements, discrimination, and stigma. It was during the pandemic times that many policy makers looked into the laws and regulations involving employees’ protection. The aim was to ensure that current policies and new regulations could help to reduce the gap of inequality between individuals in society. A major step taken by the government was to ensure that all levels of employees would not be discriminated against, and that they would be duly protected in terms of their mental health. The government also hoped that these new regulations could protect the wellbeing of individuals at the workplace, and in society as a whole. When employees have good mental health, they are more able to perform, to communicate, to work, to cope, and to prosper. Essentially, people’s overall health and wellbeing depend very much on the mental health regulations developed by the country because mental wellbeing is the fundamental right of a human being.

7.5 The Society: What Shall We Contribute? Besides organisations, peers and government support, people also require the support of the society they live in. The words of Thomas Jefferson are further illustrated. I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves… Thomas Jefferson (Cited in Forbes, n.d.)

To address the ongoing crisis caused by the pandemic, some form of transformation is required in the regulations governing mental health. This ideal can only be achieved through the strong foundation and support of all parties. Providing protection to those at risk of suffering from mental health issues should be the government’s priority whilst promoting the citizen’s wellbeing should be the country’s goal. In today’s challenging times, governmental institutions may sometimes be unable to fulfil such goals hence the civil society and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) may need to step in to assist the government in filling the gaps. During the pandemic, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were one of the key players which helped the country to manage the issue of employees with mental health disorders. Some of these NGOs were already quite well established while

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other NGOs were only established during the crisis. The Lost Food Project (TLFP), the Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia (IMAM) Response and Relief Team (IMARET), Mercy Malaysia, and Caremongering Malaysia are some examples of the active NGOs which reached out to the public. Vulnerable communities were assisted in terms of funds, consultation, medical supplies, necessity items, and many more. During the pandemic, society also played a big role. One of the most profound tools used by the general public then was crowdfunding. It was prevalent as a powerful tool for creating awareness and funding. The cutting edge of crowdfunding was based on the idea of generating money through large crowds of people, in contrast to conventional methods. Campaigns were conducted, and information was disseminated through social media contents. Crowdfunding is one of the fastest ways of generating money to fund a certain project, no matter how big or small. For instance, through crowdfunding, medical relief efforts, equipment for health care facilities, and recruitment of volunteer workers had been almost effortless. Thus, the role that society plays in the recuperation of the nation’s crisis should not be under estimated. Every volunteer, every neighbour, and every individual has a role to play.

7.6 Epilogue The post COVID-19 phase has certainly brought on more anxiety, frustration, stress, and confusion. The demands at work, the speed required to complete projects, information overload, and advanced technology have all contributed to this condition experienced by the millions of people around the world who suffered in silence, and lived through these conditions (WHO, 2022). This book serves to provide specific insights to the different stakeholders, such as the individuals, organisations and the society so that all parties can take a deeper look in the experiences of the employers and the employees and households at large affected by the pandemic. This book allows us to reflect on the many different situations and struggles experienced namely, the conflict and dissonance within ourselves, our changing social life, our role as an entrepreneur, and our fundamental rights to mental health and in maintaining our wellbeing. It is hoped that the discourses presented in this book through the various chapters can add clarity to how people survived the COVID-19 dilemma. Thus far, the outlook seemed promising, at least in terms of people’s adaptation to the new normal. The expectation of this book is that while all of us may have faced these predicaments, we also need to let go of those thoughts and feelings that could be weighing us down, and focus on the more important things in life, and being grateful of life itself. As the great American author Melody Beattie stated, ‘Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.’

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7 The Perseverance Over Time

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