Youths see little value in office rules

Youths say more freedom from stifling office rules would mean better quality of work and greater productivity.

PETALING JAYA: Youths are unhappy with office rules, claiming it distracts them from doing quality work at their jobs. Some have even quit their jobs to get away from the stifling office environment.

In informal interviews by FMT, several youths in the Klang Valley said rules such as clocking in and out of the office, having a set number of working hours and maintaining a formal appearance stood in the way of their work.

Twenty-seven-year-old Mohamad Shazlan Ghazali from Shah Alam told FMT that such office rules had even led him to quit his job and start his own public relations business.

He explained that while working, he realised he could not cope with the rules as, he said, they interfered with his productivity.

“I started my business Gravi Tree Enterprise because I was tired of the bureaucracy of the office life,” he said.

“One year at work was enough to tell me that it wasn’t for me so I left. Within a year, I managed to earn more than I did at my office job. I still work hard but at least I have the freedom to do my work the way I want to do it.”

Ayu Idris, a twenty-six-year-old editor for The Asian Parent Malaysia, said that while she understood certain rules were important, she felt that companies should be smart enough to tailor those rules according to the nature of business and the employee’s jobscope.

“I don’t think it makes much sense for writers to be in the office or wear suits and tuck in their shirts. It’s different if you’re the CEO or a marketing executive and need to meet a client,” she said.

“Writers and especially those working in the creative department need the freedom to express themselves. We want to nurture that artistic soul.

“As for working hours, I understand that its purpose is to be fair to everyone but still, a certain degree of flexibility is needed unless you’re working at a counter or need to open your shop at a certain time.”

A ghost writer who insisted he be quoted anonymously said, like Shazlan, he left his job as a copywriter because of the office rules.

“I would rush to work early in the morning and have to sit in my car for hours in traffic. I’d be sitting in my car telling myself ‘I could have finished most of my work if I didn’t have to go through the stupid jam’,” he said.

“When I got to the office I would be late anyway and the human resource manager would tell me to leave home earlier, and I did.

“It didn’t help because then I’d be too early and the office wouldn’t be open and I’d be sitting at the mamak stall telling myself ‘I could have finished most of my work if my higher-ups knew how to send a bloody email’.”

The comments come on the heel of claims that youths are unable to find employment.

In January, Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) executive director Shamsuddin Bardan said graduates had only themselves to blame if they failed to get jobs as there were many vacancies. He said they might not be competent enough to fill them.

MEF was responding to remarks by Pakatan Harapan (PH) prime ministerial candidate Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who had lamented the fact that many graduates ended up becoming drivers for ride-hailing companies such as Uber or Grab, or selling nasi lemak. -FMT