KUALA LUMPUR (April 17): Workers in Malaysia can apply to their employers for flexible working arrangements based on time, days, and the location of work, according to Sections 60P and 60Q of the Employment Act 1955, said Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong.

Through a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), he explained that such requests should be submitted to employers for feedback within 60 days, and if rejected, employers must provide the reasons.

"The Ministry of Human Resources will continuously review and improve our labour policies and laws to support the 3Ks, namely welfare, skills, and employee performance, and to enhance the country's economic competitiveness," he said.

In the same post, Sim also attached a photo of the Employment Act 1955, highlighting Part XIIC concerning flexible working arrangements.

According to Section 60P (1) of the Act, an employee has the right to request from their employer for a flexible working arrangement to vary the hours of work, days of work, or place of work in relation to his or her employment, subject to Part XII or anything contained in the contract of service.

The Act also stated that for a flexible working arrangement under Section 60Q (1), the employee shall make an application under Section 60P in writing and in the form and manner as may be determined by the director general of labour.

Sim said this in response to a post by a portal regarding workers in Singapore now being able to apply to work four days a week, more working days from home, and phased working hours starting from Dec 1 this year.

This follows the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangements announced by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) in the city state recently.

The TAFEP is an agency established by Singapore's Ministry of Manpower, its National Trades Union Congress, and the Singapore National Employers Federation.