WFH 101 - Surge in Remote Work

COVID-19 compels companies en masse to adopt remote working. This seems, at first sight, to be quite easy and doable, but there are also many signals that productivity and work-life balance are coming under pressure. It will only be a real success if companies start tackling remote working structurally. It is not advised to take a wait-and-see approach, because almost 2 years into this pandemic it looks like remote working is here to stay.  This year, the virtual National Employment Law Conference will continue to bring together the HR community and engage in a knowledge sharing discourse on the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in managing remote working from our speaking line-up of experienced HR & IR professionals.

09 : 00 am  -  10 : 30 am
Session 1: It Takes Two to Tango - Keeping Employees Engaged in a Remote Environment

Thila Suppiah, HR Practitioner and Founder of People Synergy

The reason why employee engagement is now a more pertinent issue than ever is because of the new working styles we find ourselves in with so many of us either choosing to work from home or on a rotational basis of remote working. For most of us, remote working is the response we have come up with for maintaining organisational preservation in the face of a pandemic-caused economic recession. Maintaining company culture and building synergies doesn’t stop just because the workplace is now virtual. HR executives must be agile enough to adapt to new circumstances and opportunities to engage employees. So, what are the steps that can help keep employees engaged while they work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic? 

• How do you keep employees focused and engaged from a distance? 
• How would employees want to be rewarded in these remote scenarios? 
• Should employer augment/leverage their L&D with e-learning, AI or gamification?

10 : 30 am  -  12 : 00 pm
Session 2 : The Shift in Performance Management Due to Remote Working - How to Measure and Manage Performance & Productivity Remotely

LySha Teh,
Strategic Planning, Executive Board Office, PwC Malaysia
Co-Speaker: Michelle Lee Talent & Transformation Leader (Human Capital)



Companies with remote workers are generally concerned about productivity from two angles. Some employers wonder “are they working at all?” while others are more concerned with “are they working efficiently? Before a company establishes how to track and measures a workers’ performance, it should identify what needs to be measured. Choosing the most impactful and qualitative metrics is key. 

Key Takeaway: 

• How to set and communicate clear goals and deadlines in the same way with workers in a physical workspace?
• 
  How to evaluate quality and quantity instead of time worked?
• 
  What should employers keep in mind while revising the performance framework for their remote employees?
• Understanding the shift to seeing others in a way that unleashes accountability, collaboration, and organizational performance.

02 : 00 pm  -  03 : 30 pm
Session 3: Adjusting to Changing Work Realities – Morale, Mental Health, and Burnout in Remote Teams

Usha Devi, #yourHRpartner

Employees daily living routines have been disrupted, which may cause added stress, tension, physical and mental strain. The situation is aggravated during mandatory and prolonged WFH implementations when lockdowns prevent people from going out and social life is limited. The worry and stress of “work without end” are increasing and this session will discuss more about it in response to separating paid work and personal life. Studies have indicated that being unable to interact with friends and isolation from colleagues are key disadvantages in a WFH environment.  

Key Takeaway: 

• Promoting health and well-being whilst being supportive and understanding
• 
  How to balance the work and private lives of employees.
• Setting clear expectations of work hours and empowering employees to set boundaries on work schedule.

03: 30 pm  -  05 : 00 pm
Session 4: Data Protection and Security – HR Navigating Through Control and Privacy.

Izzat Aziz  Director, Technology, Risk and Cybersecurity, KPMG

Remote work certainly has its challenges when it comes to data security. In Malaysia, a report from Cisco’s Future of secure remote work revealed that 62% of organisations had experienced a 25% or more jump in cyber threats or alerts since the start of the pandemic. While the use of technology has enabled and facilitated WFH, it also presents higher risks of cyberattacks and confidentiality breaches. Safe WFH processes are essential, especially if workers are using their personal laptops or devices to perform official duties and connect to the company network. Some companies have an existing data protection, confidentiality, and security policy for this purpose. 

Key Takeaway: 

• Are your workers being aware of the company data protection policy?
• 
  What is Different About Remote Security?
• 
  What are the Considerations and Challenge?
• What are the best practices on compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) in Malaysia with regards to the processing of personal data and compliance with the data protection principles?

09 : 00 am  -  10 : 30 am
Session 5: You Are Fired! Cases Highlighting the Dangers of Posting on Social Media

Raja Vishnu Sivarajah,  Principal Consultant   IR Law Sdn Bhd

You might already be familiar with the cases of “Edi Rejang” and Caryn Yean losing their jobs over silly things they said that went viral on social media. While the things they did were wrong and can be punished by law, this was all done outside of their jobs. This session will look at social media in the workplace from a legal standpoint and how to avoid unfair dismissal concerning dangers of posting on social media, even when posts are made using private accounts or from home.  Employers need to be careful when deciding whether to dismiss an employee for their posts on social media. Negative posts that relate to an employee’s employment will not automatically mean that an employer has a valid reason for dismissal. While disloyalty in recommending one employer over another may not establish a valid reason for dismissal, could it still justify disciplinary action? 

Key Takeaway:  

• Do employers have a right to fire them over social media posts in the first place?
• Investigation procedures concerning to social media post.
• How do you stop employees from using social media at work?

10 : 30 am  -  12 : 00 pm
Session 6: Trade Secrets and Intellectual Property in Remote Employment

Chew Phye Keat, Managing Partner Raja, Daryl & Loh

As more employees continue to work from home on a sustained basis, there is a heightened risk of trade secrets or confidential information leaking or being misused. It is important for businesses to understand the protection afforded at law in respect of their information and to consider ways to ensure it is protected. We look at some of these issues. 

Key Takeaway: 

• Intellectual property rights in the workplace
• 
  What is an employee intellectual property agreement?
• 
  What if there is no employee intellectual property agreement?
• 
  What rights do employees have to intellectual property in the workplace?
• Can an Employee Own Intellectual Property?

02 : 00 pm  -  03 : 30 pm
Session 7: Sustaining and Building Culture Remotely

Prof Loredana Padurean, Assoc Dean, Asia School of Business

• Common challenges of remote work
• Structured check-ins – Tips and Ideas
• What are the multiple communication options (and establishing norms for each)?
  
   

03: 30 pm  -  05 : 00 pm
Session 8: Panel Discussion - Should Working From Home or Hybrid Working Continue After COVID-19?

Moderator: Zamir Hamdy Hamdan, Head of IR, ASTRO Malaysia

Speakers: Syukri Sudari, Chief People Officer, Affin Bank Group

Nadiah Tan Abdullah, Chief Human Resources Officer, SP Setia Berhad

Grace Chan, Senior General Manager, Group HR & Administration, Berjaya Corporation

It is expected that Malaysia will be among the top 10 countries in Asia taking WFH initiative, with more companies implementing hybrid work by next year (2022) which might be extended into the next Malaysia Plan by looking into their potential and readiness to fully implement new work environments offered by a hybrid work structure.  This current situation provides unique insight into how well working from homework, and may play a vital role in future policies that reshape the current structure of working hours, possibly allowing for more flexibility 

Key Takeaway:  

• More companies will have the choice to telecommute permanently.
• What are the factors to consider?
• What are the pros and cons?
• Do you think it will likely become permanent?
• To ask each panellist, do you agree to make WFH permanent? Why?
• Health of employees and quality of work likely to suffer, do you agree?