THERE is a persistent misconception still circulating in many boardrooms across Malaysia that a Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) is simply a polite way of saying “working less” or, worse, an open invitation for employees to run personal errands during office hours.
According to PERSOL Malaysia Managing Director Brian Sim, the reality on the ground tells a very different story.
“As a leading recruitment and HR solutions provider in the Asia-Pacific region, we have had a lot of conversations regarding FWA with our clients.
“Even PERSOL Malaysia itself practises FWA, and flexibility has been part of our operating reality since 2018, well before the COVID-19 pandemic forced organisations worldwide to rethink how work gets done.
“What we have learned over the past seven years is this: FWA is not a blanket ‘work from home’ policy,” he told Bernama in an exclusive interview recently.
When implemented well, FWA is a structured, intentional business strategy that makes organisations more resilient, cost-efficient, and attractive to talent, he added.
Moving beyond the biggest misconception
Much of the apprehension surrounding FWA stems from a lack of clarity, Brian noted, pointing out that flexibility is still narrowly interpreted as working from home (WFH).
“In practice, effective FWA frameworks are far more nuanced.
“There are flexi-hours that allow staggered start and end times, flexiworkplace arrangements involving hybrid or remote work, depending on job suitability, and flexi-roles, which include alternative models such as part–time, contract, project-based or freelance arrangements,” he said.
Brian cautioned against applying a onesize-fits-all solution, as flexibility should not be about giving everyone the same arrangement but about aligning work structures with role requirements and business realities.
“PERSOL Malaysia’s own journey reflects how thinking around flexibility has evolved. When we first introduced flexi-hours, it was positioned as a reward for certain high performers.
“Over time, and especially during and after the pandemic, it became clear that flexibility needed to be embedded into the way we operate rather than treated as a privilege,” he said.
A future built on structured flexibility
Since formally strengthening PERSOL Malaysia’s FWA policies in 2020, Brian noted that employee retention has improved by more than 30 per cent.
“For organisations, the cost of replacing experienced employees can be significant, often estimated at 1.5 to 2 times the annual salary when factoring in recruitment, training, and lost productivity.
“In this context, flexibility is not a ‘soft’ benefit; it is a financially sound decision,” he stressed.
Hybrid work also allowed PERSOL Malaysia to rethink the company’s physical footprint, and it transitioned from a larger office of over 12,000 square feet to a more right-sized space at Menara AIA Sentral.
“The result was lower rental, utility and maintenance costs — resources that can instead be reinvested into technology, learning and capability development,” he said.
Brian also shared an important conclusion from PERSOL Malaysia’s FWA journey, which started as a modest flexi-hours initiative before the COVID-19 pandemic and evolved into a fully embedded workforce strategy.
“It has reinforced one simple truth: when people are given clarity, trust and flexibility, they do not disengage.
They step up, take ownership, and deliver,” he said.
Do FWAs really work?
For some organisations, the post-pandemic push towards WFH arrangements is a response to external pressures, but not so for People Potential, a Kuala Lumpur-based learning and development consultancy.
Its Chief Executive Officer Terry Netto described it as a model that has already been tested, refined and embedded over time, adding that his firm began operating on a remote-first model several years ago, with flexibility built into its structure and culture.
“WFH, for us, is not an initiative — it is an operating model.
The question is not whether people are at home or in the office, but whether the work is done well, wherever people are,” he told Bernama in an exclusive interview recently.
A key feature of the firm’s approach is its structured flexibility around time.
He shared that People Potential operates with five core hours a day — 10 am to 12 pm, and 2.30 pm to 5.30 pm — amounting to 25 core hours a week during which teams are expected to be available for collaboration, meetings and client work.
“The core hours are when the organisation comes together.
That is when conversations happen and decisions are made,” Netto explained, while the remaining 15 hours of the work week are managed through what the firm terms “microshifting”.
Microshifting — personal ownership of work
“This is where individuals take ownership of how and when they complete their work — whether that is earlier in the morning, later in the evening, or in shorter blocks throughout the day,” he said.
He noted that this structure balances coordination with autonomy, ensuring that flexibility does not come at the expense of alignment.
“Pure flexibility without structure can lead to a drop in results, while pure structure without flexibility (a common practice in Malaysia) reduces engagement.
The combination of core hours and microshifting allows us to maintain both,” he added.
Netto emphasised that such an approach requires clarity in expectations and a strong sense of accountability.
“Microshifting only works when people are clear about their deliverables and disciplined about their time.
You have to hire people who are conscientious about their work.
“On top of this, you have to have a good digital infrastructure to track projects and tasks,” he said.
Two additional structures that play a big role in maintaining work relationships are a daily 15-minute huddle and monthly whole-day face-to-face meetings involving the entire office and smaller teams.
Managers are key
Netto stressed that managers play a critical role in making this system effective, particularly in setting expectations and maintaining team cohesion.
“Managers need to be clear on priorities, timelines and standards.
At the same time, they need to respect that work often happens outside conventional hours,” he said, cautioning that the system was not suitable for managers who want tight control or who cannot instil accountability.
Still, Netto believes that such structured flexibility attracts and retains talent.
“All of our full-time trainers hired since the pandemic have either a Master’s or PhD degree, and we have experienced no turnover so far.
“Flexibility is most effective when it is designed.
Core hours provide the anchor, and microshifting provides the freedom.
“Together, they allow people to work in ways that are both coordinated and sustainable,” he said with a smile. – BERNAMA
