KUALA LUMPUR, 22 June 2016 – Millennials around the globe are clamouring for better work-life balance and flexibility in the workplace, however, Millennials in Malaysia seem to prefer a more traditional workplace, said recruitment firm Randstad.
According to the Randstad Employer Brand Research 2016 results, nearly half of Millennials aged 18 to 24 in Malaysia, 45%, stated that they preferred to stick to standard work hours. This was even higher than employees aged 25 to 44 and 45 to 65 of which 40% and 39% stated a preference for standard work hours respectively.
traditional work over work-life balance
Malaysian Millennial sentiment around standard work hours was stronger than Millennials in both Singapore and Hong Kong SAR of which 29% and 28% respectively stated that they had a preference for standard work hours.
Telecommuting was not a top priority for Malaysian Millennials either. Nearly a third of all employees in this age group, 28%, stated that they would prefer to work in the office every workday in lieu of telecommuting occasionally. This was similar to employees aged 25 to 44 of which 28% stated a preference for working in the office as did 30% of employees aged 45 to 65.
Singaporean and Hong Kong SAR Millennial employees only had 24% and 26% respectively state that they would want to work in the office every day.
Mr Ryan Carroll, Country Director of Randstad Malaysia noted, "The results revealed from the Randstad Employer Brand Research report are truly unexpected. The emergence of work-life balance as a top priority for Millennials around the world is well known, yet despite this, Millennials in Malaysia have voiced out that this is not as important to them.”
“The preference for a more traditional workplace could stem from the weak Malaysian economic outlook that has Millennials more concerned about securing and retaining a job rather than worrying about benefits such as flexible work schedules,” said Mr Carroll.
about randstad employer brand research
Celebrating its 17th edition globally, the Randstad Employer Brand Research Award is presented each year to the most attractive employer in 26 markets across the globe, based on the findings of the most representative and inclusive employer brand research in the world.
The outcome of the Employer Brand Research Award is based on public perception and focuses on three main areas: overall brand awareness, absolute attractiveness and relative attractiveness. This creates a level playing field for all competing companies instead of giving an advantage to large multinationals with higher name recognition than smaller companies. This award is not open for nomination and the results are based solely on the opinions and votes of the local workforce – making it the only award that is truly representing ‘the people’s choice’.
The 75 largest companies are selected in each participating market, usually with more than 1,000 employees. This list is presented to a representative cross section of relevant respondents based on region, age and gender. Respondents were asked to identify companies they recognize and indicate if they would like to work for them. This is then followed up with an evaluation of attractiveness factors, such as salary, benefits, work atmosphere and job content, for each of the companies.