Are Malaysian Employees Faking Their Sickness?
Kuala Lumpur, 20 August 2014 – According to Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF), Malaysian employers lose RM2.9 billion annually* in overtime payments to workers who are replacing those on medical leave. JobStreet.com recently conducted a survey to see how prevalent is the issue of fake MC’s.
From the JobStreet.com survey, more than 57 per cent of employers claimed to have staff whom they felt pretended to be sick to obtain MCs. When employers were asked what actions would be taken if staff were found getting fake MC’s, employers said that they used warning letters, verbal warnings and poor performance appraisal as some common actions taken to deter this problem in their company. Checking with the medical clinic to confirm that the staff was indeed sick is also a common method for HR departments to validate the authenticity of the MC.
What makes employees fake sickness?
26 per cent of employees surveyed admitted they have faked sickness to obtain and MC in the past six months. Some have even submitted up to 5 MCs in the last 6 months. When asked what made them do it, the top three reasons given by employees were: no mood to work, feeling burnt-out and some even faked sickness to attend job interviews. This is a sign that they are not motivated at their workplace and are being dishonest just to avoid coming to work.
Although the majority of the respondents said they would not fake sickness to get an MC, one in four said they would purchase fake MCs if they were given an opportunity to. Furthermore, they indicated that they were prepared to pay up to RM25 for a fake MC. A senior level executive commented, “I would purchase a MC if my boss does not approve my leave and I need a break after working 14 hours the day before.”
Mr. Aresandiran, President of Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management (MIHRM) commented, “Employees who abuse medical leave facilities tend to be from those with low commitment, poor morale, and poor work-life balance. Human resource managers need to positively address these recurring issues on a regular basis to reduce such abuse."
Note: A total of 1,058 employers and 749 employees across various industries inMalaysia participated in this survey conducted in June 2014.
* Source: The Sun Online, Feb 2014 http://www.thesundaily.my/news/946139
About JobStreet.com
JobStreet.com ( www.jobstreet.com ) is a leading online company presently covering the employment markets in Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and Vietnam. The Group currently services over 230,000 corporate customers and over 13 million jobseekers in its database. JobStreet.com is listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia Securities (JOBST).
Disclaimer
This document is based on information obtained from our survey and we do not make any representation or warranty as to its accuracy, completeness or correctness. Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. This document is prepared for general circulation and republication is allowed provided JobStreet.com is mentioned as the contributor. This document is not to be taken in substitution for the exercise of judgment by addressees. JobStreet.com accepts no liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this document or further communication given in relation to this document.
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