Kuala lumpur: Eligible civil servants will work three days a week in the office and two days from home beginning Aug 1 under the Hybrid Workday (HBH) Policy, the new work norm in the public service. The Public Service Department (JPA) announced that eligible officers must attend the office three days a week, with the remaining two days designated for working from home (WFH) according to an approved schedule.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, for states with Saturday-Sunday weekends, mandatory office attendance will be on Mondays and Fridays, while for states observing Friday-Saturday weekends, officers must report to the office on Sundays and Thursdays. The policy allows officers to work from the office, home, or other locations approved by the head of department, while maintaining the standard nine-hour working day, including rest periods.

Unlike the previous WFH arrangement, eligible officers will no longer need to apply or await special approval to work from home, as the arrangement will form part of their regular work schedule. Heads of department will determine officers' eligibility, may require them to report to the office on WFH days if necessary for operational needs, and may revoke the arrangement if the prescribed conditions are not met.

However, the policy does not apply to services requiring physical presence, including frontline counters, security, defence, enforcement, education, healthcare, and the judiciary, to ensure uninterrupted public service delivery. The JPA mentioned that officers' work output would be monitored and recorded through the SPOT-Me system, which is also used for attendance tracking.

In a circular dated July 20, the JPA announced that the government had agreed to implement the HBH Policy as a new work norm in the public service as part of its reform agenda to modernise service delivery. Further details are available in Human Resource Services Circular (PPSM) SR.4.1.3 on the HBH Policy at https://docs.jpa.gov.my/docs/myppsm/PPSM/SR/Waktu-bekerja/59/