Daily life has been rather monotonous the last 2 weeks since the reopening of the economic activities in this country. Nobody is excited with the daily cases of positive COVID cases as proven by the sudden absence of daily viral postings of positive cases and hospital numbers. Traffic jams in the city centre have returned and weekend traffic jams on highways is now a norm.

The latest major hue and cry must be about the whisky brand Timah which was built around the story of an Englishman called Captain Tristan Speedy and making whiskeys in tin mines etc. Local politicians raised the issue that the brand owners were insensitive to local culture and religion as Timah is short form for the name Fatimah and Captain Speedy looks like a religious preacher wearing a kopiah (picture).

Brand owners in multi racial Malaysia do have to more careful when it comes to brand names and brand imagery. What seems like an innocuous name or image would suddenly cause a big furore among certain segments of society. This is despite the fact that Malaysia is a secular society and the constitution protects the right for all citizens to live in this country, to work and conduct any businesses that does not fall foul of the law.

Any marketeer worth its salt will understand that it takes a long time and heavy investments to build a brand name. As such my advice to the brand owner of Timah is to continue using the brand name now that it is famous or infamous. This is an unexpected bonus as far as brand building is concern. The brand owner has not broken any laws and no courts in the country will agree with any such far-fetched complaints that Timah is short form for Fatimah. In fact, google ‘short form for Fatimah’ and you will find nothing on the web.

However, looking at the picture of Captain Speedy on the label, he does look like a bearded preacher wearing a kopiah. The brand owner should be conscious of this brand imagery especially when it is placed on the label of an alcoholic bottle. My advice to the brand owner is to remove the picture of Captain Speedy from the label. The image of a religious preacher on an alcoholic bottle is a no-no as far as basic packaging designs are concerned.

I certainly hope that this issue can be resolved amicably between all parties. Brand owners should not be bullied by politicians into changing brand names that are harmless and legally valid. Always remember that if you are on the right side of the law, you are protected by our Constitution and our Judiciary. But brand owners must always be sensitive to the idiosyncrasies of religious fanatics who see a devil behind every shadow. In this case, keep the brand name and remove the sensitive picture from the label on the bottle.

Looking back to 2007, the late Yasmin Ahmad directed a movie called Muallaf and her main actress Sharifah Armani had to shave her head to play her role. Pictures of her in an interview appeared and there was big uproar from the hard-line conservatives where the Mufti of Perak said, ‘Woman should have long hair. In Islam, a woman cannot act like a man and a man cannot act as a woman’. Armani was under tremendous pressure at that time with all newspapers reporting on the incident.

As Armani was the brand ambassador for Silkygirl, we had to act swiftly. After discussing with Yasmin, we decided to do a photo shoot for Armani making sure she wore a long sleeve cardigan and projected a film star with a shaven head looking confident and unshaken with our Silkygirl tag line, Unleash your confidence. Simple advertisement in black and white that was placed in both English and Malay medium. Her popularity remains intact and her later TV commercials with Mawi (our male ambassador) was such a big hit among the Malay audience.

Any major incidents will produce positive and negative publicity for your brands. As Brand Managers, you must act swiftly. If it is positive publicity, then you need to continue to accelerate the brand momentum by increasing investment in clever advertising. If negative publicity and you are not sure on how to handle the fallout, quickly consult with your PR agencies to formulate a strategy of containment.

This Timah case is interesting as they have to deal with those who are devoid of common sense. Members of Parliament should be debating on the national budget at this juncture instead of wasting precious debate time on this ludicrous issue.

I would have thought that the major discussion at this moment should be on how our government should construct a national budget that will hasten the recovery of our economy. That these MP’s should be asking the government to help raise the standards of living for the people that they are supposed to be representing.

Looking at brand names, Omar whiskey from Taiwan will face similar pressure. Importers of wine from Spain (brands like Dara), Italy (Amira, Aisha, Nur, Citra), USA (Nadia) and India (Raya) should be concerned too. If the word ‘hotdogs’ can’t survive in this country, nothing will. So hot sausage will do just fine.

But if you check the Malay-English dictionary, Timah means Tin as in alloy metal. Anybody reading it otherwise will be considered a tin head or a dim wit. Captain Speedy do look like a dimwit so it is no loss to the brand if it is discarded from the face of this earth.

We have bigger problems to worry about so let’s put a stop to this ridiculous debate. Sigh…

Since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020, this column has discussed “lives vs livelihoods” and the “new normal”.

Frankly speaking, all of us had no idea about the extent of the damage caused by the virus on the loss of lives, economic carnage and the drastic changes to social behaviour and our way of life.

To be fair, most governments had no clue either on how to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and the solutions were really on a “trial and error” basis, with public health policies taking precedence over economic policies.

Lockdown after lockdown has been implemented in trying to slow down the infections, but at a great cost to the economic and mental health of the citizens.

All these sacrifices would have been in vain if the approval for the vaccines had not been fast-tracked and the vaccination rate of the larger population had not been accelerated.

Malaysia is one of the few countries with a high vaccination rate, thanks to Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin who has been responsible for the procurement and the vaccination programme.

By next week, 90% of our adult population would have received two doses of the vaccine. The government intends to allow inter-state travel and probably move the country into phase four of the National Recovery Plan or NRP.

The standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be simplified to the basic task of wearing masks, cleaning hands and social distancing of at least one metre. Citizens will be encouraged to self test, self isolate and self behave.

Having declared that this virus is now endemic to our society, we all must learn to live with Covid-19 and all its mutated variants.

Covid-19 will be treated like just any other serious disease such as dengue and other viral infections. It is now the collective responsibility of individuals and society to self manage in the prevention of the spread of the virus.

The “new normal” will most likely have the following scenarios:

Public health policies contained within the SOPs. The enforcement of the SOPs will be carried out by the Health Ministry. There will be no more lockdowns; only targeted EMCOs at outbreak clusters.

Hopefully, the enforcement officers will play an active role in advising errant businesses and individuals for not adhering to the SOPs and only issue compounds and fines to repeat offenders. No other ministries will be involved.

As the largest employer, the government must take the lead in ensuring a safe workplace by insisting that all civil servants be fully vaccinated before they are allowed back to work. Self tests for all employees every two weeks should be introduced. All frontliners at hospitals should be tested every week.

Employers in the private sector should follow the government’s lead by creating a safe environment for all staff. They should be fully vaccinated and tested every two weeks.

Yes, there will be an increase in the health cost, but it is better than being closed down or being told to operate at 50% capacity.

Employees have to play their part too. To ensure safety of all colleagues, they must be fully vaccinated and dutifully take a test every two weeks.

A safe workplace for all takes precedence over individual preference and needs. Any employee who does not follow the safety rules of the company should leave the company.

For food and beverage and retail outlet operators, it is crucial that they look after the safety of all their customers. Customers must feel safe visiting their outlets or might not return forever.

It is similar to having a clean and hygienic kitchen if you want to have repeat business. So, follow the simple SOPs diligently.

With businesses returning to normal, the biggest issue facing management is the new norm of working from home (WFH). Employees who enjoyed WFH will insist that this privilege be extended.

Management will face many arguments, from having aged parents at home to claiming no loss of productivity to being afraid of getting infected at the workplace. I see two possible solutions for management.

The first is a free-for-all scenario. Employees have the choice of WFH or working in the office (WIO). No employee is discriminated. This is the new workplace culture that the management wants to practise.

The second is having all staff back to WIO. Employers can plan an alternate-week WIO programme or have a 100% WIO policy. If you look at any appointment letter, you will see the working hours and place of work clearly stated besides other terms of employment.

These are the terms of employment which the employee had accepted. The management has the right to enforce the terms of the employment accordingly, which is all legal and above board.

I would advise employers not to practise selective WFH for certain employees. This is discriminatory and will create all kinds of problems for the management.

I am no expert in human resource legal matters but I have a good understanding of human nature and its reaction to being unfairly treated. It is better to lose a stubborn employee than to lose control of the team.

Employers/management must have a clear and decisive policy when it impacts the company culture and team morale. No individual is bigger than the team.

Discipline lost takes much effort to regain. Strong and decisive leadership is essential to steer the company through this pandemic.

Assuming the government removes all the restrictions of the last 18 months, all businesses will operate freely again with a few simple public health SOPs to follow.

Citizens too will follow the same SOPs. This is the new normal until the virus disappears from the air that we breathe.

We must all take collective responsibility to stay safe as we resume our normal life. Always remember that when the person next to you is safe, then you too will stay safe.

Real freedom is when no mask needs to be worn.

Until then, wear your mask, clean your hands and get your booster shots.

Published: https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2021/10/09/what-the-new-normal-looks-likehttps://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2021/10/09/what-the-new-normal-looks-like

On the eve of Malaysia Day, I was delighted to share a few drinks and cigars with my two elderly sifus, Peter Khoo and TK Teo. Khoo, an accounting and tax practitioner and Teo, an experienced banker and corporate personality, have such great stories to tell with much wisdom imparted from their past experiences.

But our discussion turned sombre when I asked them how bad has this pandemic-driven recession affected Malaysian SMEs, as compared with other recessions since 1987.

Both say that the SMEs are facing the toughest challenges ever seen before.

Khoo reckons some 30% of Malaysian SMEs have closed down in the last 18 months. Teo feels that more SMEs will close down come January 2022 when the bank moratorium ends.

My hairstylist who used to have a saloon in Kota Damansara told me that more than half of the 40 over hair salons in his area have closed down in the last 18 months. Many shopping malls across the country have seen retail and F&B stores close. Not forgetting the closures of so many hotels and all tourism businesses. The list is endless. The damage is extensive.

The many lockdowns and strict SOPs have ruined many businesses. As the losses mounted, cash flow depleted super fast, defaults on bank loans reprieved by two moratoriums, savings are all used up and there is no light at the end of the tunnel for any recovery in business. Until now.

Luckily for Malaysia, our vaccination programme has been accelerated and in three weeks, 90% of our adult population would be fully vaccinated. The adult population is the working population. This has enabled the government to open up the economy gradually and come October, hopefully all sectors will be reopened and we hope that it includes allowing interstate travelling.

How can the government help the SMEs? I had asked Teo this question before we left for home.

The following day, Teo asked if I remembered about the Export Credit Refinancing (ECR) scheme which was introduced by the government after the 1987 major recession.

Of course I remembered. In the late 1980s, I was managing a rubber glove factory and had used the ECR facilities to the maximum. Upon receiving a purchase order (PO) from my customers, I could utilise up to 80% of the PO value to issue letters of credit to my latex supplier, order packaging materials and pay for the gas bills.

Upon completion of the order, the money received is first paid to the bank and the balance money is used to pay salaries. Manufacturers could borrow upfront based on a firm order so that production could proceed.

Financing cost was at 4% compared to the standard 8%-10% commercial rate of borrowing. It was a Bank Negara initiative, all ECR loans and facilities extended by commercial banks were guaranteed by Credit Guarantee Corporation (CGC), owned by Bank Negara and Malaysian banks.

Teo explains more: “As we know, SMEs are the worst hit sector during this pandemic. Most of them have no more working capital even if there is new demand for their products or services.

“Most of their existing loans have now turned into non-performing loans (NPL). So they have little chance of getting banks to extend additional facilities to them. Therefore, Bank Negara can introduce a similar funding scheme that can cater to SMEs that have contracts or orders in hand, but need fresh working capital.

“These funds can be guaranteed by CGC and also with the condition that part of the new business proceeds must be used to settle the existing NPL.”

Teo’s idea is practical and offers an amicable solution to all parties.

SMEs will get fresh loans and cash flow to proceed with their operations to fulfil orders. Banks are able to reduce the NPL impact without taking on more risks.

The government controls a quantitative easing measure that is directed at productive activities that contributes towards faster growth of our gross domestic product.

I would like to expand on Teo’s idea and suggest the following:

Set up a RM100bil SME revival fund. Allocate an amount to the banks based on their respective loan size to the SME sector. CGC can guarantee up to 80% of the new loans extended by the banks to existing SME customers.

Set the interest charged for these loans to not more than 3%. With overnight policy rate at 1.75%, there are sufficient margins for the banks to implement this scheme profitably.

For export business, reintroduce the ECR scheme. For domestic business with orders or contracts in hand, a similar domestic credit refinancing (DCR) scheme can be implemented.

The total amount of financing should be about two to three months of rolling future sales. Assuming it makes RM500,000 monthly sales, based on 80% financing, a RM1.2mil DCR facility would be sufficient.

For businesses that depend on future orders like F&B and services, a one-off revival loan can be implemented. Assuming the F&B outlet can generate RM100,000 monthly sales, then an upfront RM100,000 loan repayable over three years can be implemented. This RM100,000 loan will be sufficient to kick-start the business

Bank Negara should consult the various trade associations and banks to ascertain their needs before designing the SOP’s for the SME revival fund.

In addition, Bank Negara should open a channel for the unrepresented SMEs to start a dialogue to understand their needs.

The ECR and DCR schemes can be implemented quickly and should be implemented before the moratorium expires by the end of this year.

With the economy opening up, let us hope that our government will not resort to further lockdowns because the country will plunge into an economic abyss and never recover. We also need the government to ensure proper public health policies go hand in hand with economic activities.

The Health Minister has started the vaccination of children from the ages of 12-17 years, but the speed of vaccination will depend on the supply of Pfizer vaccines, which is again delayed.

The Education Minister has wisely delayed the starting of the school term and correctly said it should coincide with the vaccination progress of children.

Some countries like Singapore have started booster shots of vaccines for the elderly and for cancer patients so I am sure our Health Minister will look into this urgent matter, again subject to the delivery of vaccines.

Our Senior Minister for Security has announced that the 181 SOPs will be reduced to just 10 ‘simple to understand’ SOPs.

The whole nation will rejoice when the new SOPs are announced. It should be based on vaccination status, public health considerations of wearing masks, sanitisation, social distancing and crowd control.

Further considerations will be on self testing, home quarantines and contact tracing. Generalise the instructions for businesses and citizens to follow and make SOPs simple so that it will not be misinterpreted by local enforcement officers.

Businesses should not be subjected to International Trade and Industry Ministry approvals anymore.

We should not burden the police with applications for interstate travels. The civil service must revert back to pre-Covid efficiency levels. It is unproductive to have to make a booking online for an appointment to submit a document and frustrating to see all slots have been fully booked for the next two weeks.

What used to be a simple task of going to a public service department, collect a waiting number and conducting a simple transaction on the same day, must resume immediately.

I have never seen any government departments refusing to collect taxes or stamp duties before until this pandemic.

The land office is closed, the public have not been able to get road tax since March and the Inland Revenue Department is refusing to collect cheque payments at their counters. Funnily enough, our Finance Minister was lamenting about the low collection of tax revenue.

Lastly, the plantation and the manufacturing sectors are screaming for foreign workers to be allowed entry.

Since the pandemic started, we have had net outflow of foreign workers returning home upon completion of their contracts as no inflows are allowed. Working mothers are also in search of domestic helpers since their previous helpers have left for home.

With the economy opening up quickly, we need to allow entry of new foreign workers and domestic helpers. It is a major revenue for the Home Ministry as workers levy and fees run into hundreds of million a year.

Managing this recovery will require all ministries and our civil service to work together, coordinate better and communicate with one voice. And do listen carefully to the voice of desperate SMEs and to the voice of frustrated citizens as GE15 is only two years away.

Published: https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2021/09/18/smes-in-dire-need-of-assistance

For the last 12 years, I have travelled to London, mostly on Malaysian Airlines since it is a direct flight without the hassle of lost hours on transit and catching connecting flights.

Due to infrequent and few MH flights to London since the pandemic, I travelled on Singapore Airlines for my current trip, now that Changi Airport has allowed transit flights.

Dubai and Doha Airport stayed open throughout the pandemic while Changi just reopened some months back for transit passengers from Malaysia.

The airline industry has gone through the toughest period since its inception. Closed borders, changing rules on closed and open borders, safety issues of passengers and crew has reduced capacity by 80% to 90%. Cash burn velocity has been unbelievable with high capital investments with loans to service, major staffing costs and the maintenance of aircrafts.

Malaysian Airlines is lucky to have Khazanah continuing to pump in money for its sustenance. Meanwhile AirAsia is scrambling for private capital and government loans that has been supposedly forthcoming.

I am sure Tan Sri Tony Fernandes will eventually prevail, being the tenacious entrepreneur he is, once the Asean borders reopen. It will be a step by step reset for AirAsia and Tony as he spends his time in the last 15 months building his digital business.

I am not too optimistic on the future of AirAsia X as their main market, China, has closed its borders for inbound and outbound travel (due to their zero-tolerance on Covid-19) and there are no clear intentions of reopening their borders anytime soon.

The Chinese government has gone to the extent of refusing to renew expired passports since overseas travel is not allowed. In the last 15 months, world tourism has been short of 120 million big spending Chinese visitors to their countries.

Meanwhile in the United Kingdom, citizens were travelling for their summer holidays to European countries that do not impose quarantine measures and reciprocal non-quarantine requirements when returning as long as one is fully vaccinated. Countries like Greece and Spain, who depend on tourism dollars, have reset their Covid-19 policies to simply kick-start their tourism industry.

Domestic tourism in UK picked up tremendously with many hotels, lodges and Air BnB accommodations fully booked throughout August.

As I walked the popular shopping streets in London, many retail shops and restaurants remained shut with no new tenants forthcoming. Even though the economy is fully opened, inbound tourism is badly affected with the government set to stop the furlough scheme (paying 70-80% of citizens salaries) by end August, which can only mean that another round of retrenchments is highly possible come September.

Recovery will be slow and uncertain but at least the reset button has been activated. It will be like a country suffering from a deep recession for two years and now crawling out of the woods with outstanding public health concerns.

So what can Malaysia learn from these countries as we reset our economy?

Inbound and outbound tourism will recover very slowly depending on the opening of borders by highly vaccinated countries. Domestic tourism is the low hanging fruit that can be easily plucked for instant employment opportunities and reviving the severely-hit hotels and accommodation businesses. Local spending will have a multiplier effect on small businesses along the highways and byways. Malaysian Airlines and AirAsia can start building capacity with a clear roadmap ahead.

In a webinar two days ago, Khairy Jamaluddin, who was appointed Health Minister yesterday, argued that lives vs livelihoods need not be a zero sum game as we open our economy. Once our population is fully vaccinated, we must still practice safe SOP’s of wearing masks, sanitising our hands and keeping safe distance policies in enclosed spaces. I fully agree with him.

The whole nation is struggling from pandemic and lockdown fatigue and coupled with loss of income for the poor, it is best that we find a new pathway before unhappiness turns into civil disobedience, as we have seen happening in many countries.

I will go further by proposing to our new Prime Minister and his cabinet that they replace the micro-managing SOP’s with clear broad policies with regards to public health activities and economic activities.

Not only do the SOP’s confuse the business communities and the public, the haphazard enforcement has caused tremendous damage and uncertainty. Enforcement activities should come with advice and warnings, not an immediate fine. Instead of helping a drowning citizen, the enforcement officers, clearly lacking in empathy, are taking drastic actions. On a global basis, this pandemic has exposed many weaknesses in governments in managing public health, vaccinations and livelihoods issues. It is a fact that no current government in the world, except for China and Singapore, have managed these three issues effectively. Malaysia’s problem has been exacerbated by the political crisis since the start of the pandemic.

Perhaps with Malaysia turning 64 in three days time, it is time for a reset in our national policies and strategies going forward. It must be noted that our new Prime Minister, at 61-years-old, is the first PM born after our independence and represents the new generation of leaders post Tun Mahathir’s generation of old.

It is clear that the past and current political game plan of playing race and religion cards has polarised this country. The older generation of politicians are unaware of the changing landscapes and are still stuck in this vicious cycle of money politics, corruption and power play for self interest.

The time to reset is the next General Election (GE15). In the interests of the nation, may I humbly request that the older generation of leaders step aside and allow the current generation to take over. This nation needs fresh ideas and energetic young leaders who will work in a bipartisan manner for the good of the country. Provide the opportunities for the next generation of leaders to take over come the next elections.

There is an urgent need for this nation to be more inclusive in our multi-racial landscape, reboot meritocratic policies across the entire government and civil service, besides resetting our education towards academic excellence and skill sets needed for the future.

If you think my wish is far off, my friend Yew Meng predicts that when the new generation of leaders take over in 2028, they will manage this country with righteousness, ethics and morality.

That would indeed be a major reset from what we are going through now.

Happy Merdeka to Malaysia, our beloved country.

Published: https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2021/08/28/a-much-needed-reset-for-the-future

Every time I travel to London and Europe, I have been fascinated by the rich history of the nations. When I include old civilisations like India and China, I am always amazed at how civilisations have survived countless plagues and wars.

Due to lack of science and medicine, there were high casualties of human lives in a plague pandemic. Destruction of properties and infrastructures during wars are increasingly very extensive due to bombs and missiles.

Throughout the history of civilisation, there has been different kind of plagues and the most deadly pneumonic plague was the Spanish Flu. A total of 30% of the world population or an estimated 500 million out of 1.8 billion was infected with an estimated casualty of 50 million deaths (about 3% of world population then).

Spanish Flu, also known as the 1918 Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 virus. The name Spanish Flu is a misnomer. The pandemic broke out near the end of World War I and it was only reported by Spanish neutral media, giving the false impression that Spain was the epicentre of the epidemic.

It was reported that outbreaks of influenza like illness first appeared in 1916-1917 in British military hospitals in France and subsequently appeared in military hospitals in Kansas, the United States, in 1918. Is history repeating itself? Nobody will know the true story of the origins of Covid-19.

All we know is that the pneumonic virus has been co-existing with the human population for the last few hundred years. And it will still co-exist with us for the next few hundred years.

The fact that we have to live with Covid-19 virus is a no brainer. The Spanish Flu was most deadly between the years of 1918-1920 and it dragged on till the mid-1920’s before it finally disappeared.

Modern science today has produced effective vaccines and modern medical equipments and treatments that is able to control the pandemic with lower casualties. Together with improved social behaviours, the world is in a much better position now to control and eventually make Covid-19 fade away. Hopefully for another 100 years.

After the world wars, most affected countries embarked on reconstruction efforts and they reset their priorities from war mongering to economic development.

Similarly, after each pandemic, families, businesses and governments have to reset their priorities from health concerns to economic survival, from personal losses to a hopeful future and most importantly, to handover to our next generation a better, safer and more prosperous world to live in.

Here are some thoughts on how Malaysians can reset their priorities starting today:

Lives vs livelihoods

The only way to solve massive unemployment is to help the micro businesses and small and medium enterprises (SME) restart their operations, as this sector is responsible for at least 50% of national employment. Our banking sector has to seriously consider writing off or reducing these debts (accumulated interests) as a form of support for the cash-strapped enterprises.

Having reduced or no income for 18 months has devastated these small businesses. Rich Western countries have helped the industries with furlough pays etc for more than a year but not Malaysia.

The financial institutions should forego their short-term profits in the national interest to help reconstruct and rebuild the small enterprise sector. The multiplier effect of a reinvigorated small-enterprise sector will only benefit the financial institutions immediately, from payment of cars, housing and personal loans to higher consumption which improves trading velocity.

The government can help out too in terms of exemption of penalties for unpaid taxes and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributions while some form of tax or duties relief should be given to the small enterprises.

The main consideration is to allow these small enterprises to use the balance cash available, if there is any left, to restart their business immediately. Give them some breathing space and oxygen when required. Now that health risks will be greatly diminished via high vaccination, we need to reset our priorities to livelihoods. Not a moment too soon.

The only positive change from this pandemic has been the awareness of personal and public hygiene standards that was lacking prior to the pandemic.

Marketplaces and restaurants are much cleaner, homes and workplaces are more sterilised than ever, and hand washing is now a necessary habit. This reset should be maintained if not enhanced further.

Wearing of masks have been an old habit in Japan and China to protect from pollution. Wearing of masks in food preparation and service-related activities are habits that should be perpetuated in the years to come.

That includes wet market operators and poultry farms where the origin of viruses hopping on to humans often occur. Mandatory work wear maybe?

Workplace

This new concept of working from home for fully employed staff members is an experiment with many unexpected results.

My three children and their spouse are all working from home. My wife is complaining of the high electricity bills for air conditioning and the constant feeding of so many adults throughout the day. Can we claim from their companies some living expenses?

Meanwhile their companies are studying the loss of productivity from employees working from home. A general estimate of loss of 20%-30% in productivity seems to be the rule of thumb. Can we reduce their compensation by a similar percentage? Should we reduce our office space by half?

Come to think of it, we do not need that many employees nowadays as before. Since headcount has been reduced, we still have the same performance.

Now we have employees who love working from home and make all kind of excuses of not going back to work in their workplace. This will become a major problem for management.

The other problem is the need to self isolate at home due to close contact with a positive case. Latest news in the United Kingdom, if you are fully vaccinated, there is no need to self isolate if you have come into close contact with someone positive.

We do need to reset this work-from-home concept. Fair policies for both management and employees will need to be set to prevent workplace misunderstanding.

I believe there will be no one policy to fit all the jobs and not all the jobs fit the work-from-home concept. Eventually there will be attritions due to disagreement on personal choices versus management principles. No winners here.

Next week, we will discuss resets on many other issues including government and national goals. This week, we will have a new government or an old government in a new bottle but whatever it is, we know that we have to co-exist with the same bunch of old politicians, at least for the next one to two years.

If you are fully vaccinated, do go out and enjoy your limited freedom and activities. Cheers.

Published: https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2021/08/21/time-to-reset