A Conceptual Study on the Decision-Makers Perception towards Teleworking in Malaysia.

Abstract

This paper reports the results of the conceptual study of the latest trend of work environment- teleworking. This study was conducted about a year ago with the primary objective of exploring the issues of teleworking relevant in the Malaysian context. Based on snapshot case studies on a local bank, two telecommunication companies, and a foreign consulting firm, we attempted to explore the decision-makers’ view on the potentials and prospects of teleworking in the Malaysian business. The literature categories were used as the context to develop questions for the unstructured interviews. Questions revolved around the perceived or actual reasons for adopting teleworking, teleworking options, and job suitable for teleworking. Among the critical human resource issues included were training needs, performance appraisal, compensation, provision of teleworking equipment and industrial relations. Other interesting findings were the differences in corporate culture and management style of these organisations.