Wednesday, August 20, 2014

1 IN 4 MALAYSIAN EMPLOYEES HAVE FAKED SICK LEAVE?

KUALA LUMPUR,  Malaysia — One in four Malaysian employees have faked illnesses to score medical certificates while one in four of those who have not done so are willing to pay up to RM25 for a fake MC, a JobStreet.com survey revealed.  
The practice of skipping work without reason has been costing employers a whopping RM2.9 billion each year, the employment website said, pointing out that companies have to fork out hefty overtime payments to workers forced to take on their “sick” colleagues’ shifts. 
JobStreet.com said it polled 749 employees across various industries in June this year to study the prevalence of MC abuse in Malaysia and discovered that 26 per cent have faked illnesses to escape their duties. 
Some even admitted to submitting up to five MCs to their employers in the last six months, JobStreet.com said. 
Asked why they wanted to skip work, the respondents gave three key reasons: a lack of mood to work; feeling burnt out; or to attend job interviews. 
Although a majority of employees said they have not abused the MC system, a quarter of those said they were willing to pay for a chit if they could. 
  • JobStreet.com also quoted one senior level executive as saying: “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”. 
  • The survey also polled employers to find out how frequently they experience the problem and revealed that 57 per cent of 1,058 employers had faced the issue. 


Asked the kind of action they take against these errant employees, the respondents said they usually sent warning letters or issued verbal warnings, or gave the staff poor performance appraisals. 
Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management (MIHRM) president Aresandiran J. said human resource managers should positively address these cases regularly to curb further abuse. 
The Health Ministry said it was mulling a centralized system to allow employers to track their employees’ medical leave track records.

Source: Agency

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