The Employer’s Guide to Preparing The Workplace for Returning Employees in Malaysia

The National Recovery Plan (NRP) is Malaysia’s structured, four-phase strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Three indicators form the basis of the plan — the number of daily infections recorded, the capability of the public healthcare system, and the ongoing vaccination efforts throughout the nation. 

Many states — including Selangor and Kuala Lumpur — remain within Phase 1 of the plan at the moment, although the entire country is reportedly expected to progress to Phase 2 sometime in August. 

There are some prerequisites for this to happen, however, including average daily cases of less than 4,000, as well as vaccination rates for the population. Certain economic sectors will also be allowed to reopen in phases, although this is subject to the government’s approval, as well as the implementation of stringent SOPs. 

As employers or HR professionals, you might be wondering: How do I ensure that the workplace is safe for returning employees? To answer this, altHR’s free Workplace Guide covers the end-to-end of the process — from onboarding new hires, to ensuring the well-being of your existing employees. 

Here are a few key points that you should take note of. ‍

1. Ensure that the office has a registered MySejahtera QR code

It is now mandatory for visitors on business premises to check in via the MySejahtera app (manual log books are no longer accepted). This also means that you’ll need to provide a thermometer for temperature checks upon entering the office — try to purchase one that does not require users to physically touch the equipment. 

The government’s contact tracing app should be familiar to most Malaysians, and plays a crucial role in the fight against COVID-19. 

Creating your own MySejahtera QR code for your business is a very simple process, in actuality. Here are a couple of important steps: 

• Register your business on the official MySejahtera website
• Head over to MySejahtera Check-In > Register MySejahtera Check-In 
• Follow the on-screen steps 
• Finally, print, email, or download the MySejahtera QR code
  

For more detailed steps on preparing a MySejahtera QR code, click here for our full guide. 

2. Prepare a safe environment for employees at the office

Only 80 percent of employees will be allowed onsite during Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan, although this will only apply to certain economic sectors. Regardless, if your business is allowed to operate in-person, you’ll need to prepare a safe environment for your employees. 

A lot of this centres around social distancing, and the enforcement of such protocols in the workplace. One way to achieve this is to ensure that desks and workstations are placed (at least) six feet apart; a shift-based roster would also help to reduce the number of people physically present at the office each day. 

Face mask coverings should also be worn at all times in the workplace, and it is also encouraged to wear double masks to reduce the risk of transmission.

Additionally, ensure that employees regularly practise good hygiene — prepare the office with hand sanitiser stations, and try to ensure that the office space is well ventilated. This is because there are reports that the COVID-19 virus may be airborne. 

You should also implement daily sanitisations of the workplace. According to the Department of Occupational Safety and Health, surfaces such as desks, computer keyboards, or even chairs should be cleaned and disinfected regularly to prevent transmission of COVID-19.

3. Equip employees with the right digital tools

Even if your staff are present physically at the office, face to face meetings and large gatherings of any kind should still be avoided. If possible try to conduct meetings over video conferencing tools such as Zoom or Google Meet; if a physical meeting is absolutely necessary, ensure that SOPs are adhered to. 

Meanwhile, you must also keep track of your employees’ health and well-being. Digital tools such as altHR do away with the need for manual (and risky) tracking processes — employees will simply need to check in on the altHR app, and declare if they are well, or if they are a Person Under Investigation (PUI) at risk for COVID-19. ‍

Digitalise ALL your HR processes today 

If you’re keen to find out more about preparing the workplace for returning employees, be sure to sign up on the lead form on this page for our comprehensive Workplace Guide for 2021. In general, HR professionals are often faced with daunting, often tedious tasks on a daily basis — tasks that have become even more difficult to handle in light of the ongoing COVID-19 situation. 

But help is available, if you know where to look. Let us streamline your HR processes by managing and automating day-to-day tasks, so you won’t have to worry about things like paperwork, privacy concerns, time-tracking, or onboarding challenges.

Sign up for altHR, the all-in-one digital solution that covers everything from payroll and onboarding, to staff management and providing employees with information kits. You’ve done it the old way long enough.