Staggered working hours could unlock smoother traffic, lower subsidies

 Malaysia does not need to choose between economic productivity and quality of life – it can have both, with the right policies.

From Ashraf Abdullah

By any measure, Malaysia’s daily commute has become an exercise in endurance.

From the early morning crawl on virtually every highway leading to the city centre to the evening gridlock snaking out of Kuala Lumpur, the cost of congestion is no longer measured only in time, but also in fuel subsidies, lost productivity, and declining quality of life.

Yet, hidden in plain sight is a solution that requires neither multi-billion ringgit infrastructure projects nor years of construction: rethinking how, when, and where we work.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced both the public and private sectors to experiment with work-from-home (WFH) arrangements. What began as a crisis response revealed an inconvenient truth: many jobs, particularly backroom and non-customer-facing roles, do not require daily physical presence in an office.

Administrative staff, finance officers, HR personnel, policy analysts, and IT teams demonstrated that productivity could be maintained, and in some cases improved, when freed from the distractions of office life, or getting to the office.

For the government, especially in its administrative hub Putrajaya, even a partial shift to hybrid work could significantly reduce peak-hour traffic volumes. Fewer commuters mean less congestion, lower fuel consumption, and ultimately, a reduced burden on Malaysia’s fuel subsidy bill.

Private companies, too, stand to gain. Reduced office space requirements translate into lower rental and operational costs, particularly in high-value commercial areas in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. Employees benefit from savings on petrol, tolls, and parking – expenses that have quietly eroded household incomes over the years.

But while hybrid work is part of the solution, it is not sufficient on its own.

If everyone works from home on the same days and returns to the office on the same days, congestion merely shifts; it does not disappear.

The real breakthrough lies in staggering working hours and introducing alternative shifts, particularly for roles that do not depend on real-time public interaction.

Imagine a system where:

• Some employees begin work at 7am and leave for home by mid-afternoon
• Others work standard hours from 9am to 5pm
• A third group operates in the evening or at night, for example from 7pm to 2am (without the one-hour break)

Employees who are given or opt for late or “graveyard” shifts could be compensated with three days off per week, creating a powerful incentive structure while maintaining overall productivity.

This is not entirely new for Malaysia as it has been the practice in sectors like the health services for decades.

Such a model would spread traffic demand across a broader time window, easing the intense pressure currently concentrated during peak hours.

Critics may argue that such flexibility is impractical. But this is only true for frontline roles: counters, enforcement, healthcare, and customer-facing services.

For backroom operations, the logic is compelling.

Data processing does not need to happen at 9am. Financial reconciliations can be completed at night. Policy papers can be drafted at any hour. IT systems can be monitored more effectively with staggered teams operating across extended hours.

In fact, many global organisations already operate on such models, ensuring continuity while reducing bottlenecks.

The benefits of combining hybrid work with staggered hours are multi-layered:

First, it directly reduces the number of vehicles on the road during peak periods. Even a 20% to 30% reduction in commuter traffic could significantly improve flow along major arteries.

Second, it lowers national fuel consumption. At a time when Malaysia continues to grapple with the fiscal burden of fuel subsidies, this is not a trivial advantage.

Third, it contributes to environmental sustainability. Fewer cars on the road mean lower carbon emissions – an outcome aligned with Malaysia’s broader sustainability commitments.

However, none of this comes without challenges.

The public sector must confront long-standing issues of accountability and performance measurement. A system that has traditionally valued physical presence must evolve towards one that rewards output. It must move with time.

Digitalisation is critical. Paper-based processes and manual approvals will quickly undermine any attempt at remote or staggered work.

In the private sector, managers must learn to lead distributed teams effectively. Trust, clear KPIs, and the intelligent use of digital tools will be essential.

There is also a human dimension. Not all employees will welcome non-traditional hours. Family commitments, lifestyle preferences, and health considerations must be taken into account.

Flexibility must remain a choice, not a rigid imposition.

Malaysia does not need to choose between economic productivity and quality of life. With the right policies, it can have both.

A practical roadmap could include:

• Mandating hybrid work (two to three days a week) for eligible roles
• Introducing staggered working hours across ministries and corporations
• Incentivising evening or night shifts with additional leave benefits
• Accelerating digital transformation in government workflows
• Aligning public transport schedules, such as the MRT Kajang Line, with more flexible commuting patterns

For decades, Malaysia has tried to solve traffic congestion by building more roads. Yet, the problem persists, because congestion is not merely an infrastructure issue – it is a behavioural one.

By reimagining work itself – through hybrid arrangements and staggered hours – we can attack the problem at its source.

The daily commute need not be a national ritual of frustration. With a measure of boldness and a willingness to depart from tradition, Malaysia can turn its roads from parking lots back into pathways.

The solution, as it turns out, may not lie in moving cars faster, but in needing fewer of them on the road. - FMT

 Ashraf Abdullah is a former group managing editor of Media Prima Bhd’s Television Networks.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.