Azalina: Johor’s proposal for four-and-a-half day work week needs valid reasons to implement

KOTA TINGGI, Nov 24 — Johor’s proposal to implement a four-and-a-half-day work week hinges on the state government’s rationale, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

She said the state government must have valid reasons for the proposal but declined to elaborate further, citing a lack of details on the plan.

However, the Pengerang MP expressed her personal view that technological advancements and rapid development have transformed traditional working norms.

“Nowadays, no one strictly works eight hours a day. Many people work beyond that because of technology, like smartphones, enabling work outside standard hours,” she said, adding that work hours often depend on the nature of a profession.

“Certain jobs demand more than eight to 10 hours a day, while some can be performed remotely. As we head into 2025, we must adopt a more open-minded approach, especially with technology evolving so rapidly,” she told reporters after a community dinner in Pengerang last night.

Last Thursday, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi announced that the state is studying a four-and-a-half-day work week for the public sector, following the move to revert state weekend holidays to Saturday and Sunday starting January 1, 2025.

Onn Hafiz said the government is actively improving productivity and service delivery, including standardising operating hours for service counters across state and federal government offices as well as local authorities.

In 2022, a pilot study in the United Kingdom, involving 61 organisations tested a four-day work week. Results showed significant benefits, including a 71 per cent reduction in employee burnout and a 65 per cent decrease in sick leave.

According to the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), 89 per cent of participating organisations continued with the shorter work week after the six-month trial, with some reporting revenue growth of up to 34 per cent. — Bernama