Former private-sector worker highlights inefficiency and culture shock in Malaysia’s civil service; workload varies by department and role.

FOR years, public dissatisfaction over the efficiency of the government sector has been a recurring topic in Malaysia, often fuelling debates about the work culture of civil servants.

A Malaysian man recently highlighted the issue, pointing out that a major difference between the government sector and the private sector is the “work culture” after joining the civil service.

At his previous job in the private sector, he mentioned that his work required a high amount of data and tasks to be completed before clocking out, to the point where employees had to stay back late to settle these tasks.

“Now, it’s very different. Work is done only as much as time allows—if it’s not finished, it continues the next day and so on.

“Honestly, many tasks that the public is told will take two weeks to a month could actually be completed in just two to three days if all staff carried out their duties properly,” he said in a viral Threads post.

However, he reflected that not many civil servants have a bad work ethic, but due to a small number of public servants with work ethic issues, it has resulted in others having to “cover” their work, only to end up on the receiving end of negative public perception.

“The civil service system, where salary increments are guaranteed and dismissal is difficult, shapes attitudes like this,” he added.

As the post gained traction, many agreed with the man’s observations on the public sector’s work culture.

“People talk about wanting to join the civil service to supposedly advance their careers or for self-growth, but in reality, they just want an easy, laid-back job, except for critical sectors like healthcare and teaching, where schedules are genuinely packed. If you end up working in an agency or a ministry, it’s usually just eating and socialising,” a user said.

“Totally agree. I was in the civil service for two years, and at first it was a real culture shock—punch in at 8am, read the newspaper until 9am, go out for morning coffee until 10am, work until 1pm, lunch break until 2pm, then go home at 5pm,” another recalled.

On the other hand, some users have defended public servants, claiming that their work culture depends on the department they work for and noting that the workload in those departments can be just as heavy as in the private sector.

“What job is that? In my government role, the deadlines are truly overwhelming—overlapping on top of one another. I go home and continue working. I work until 4 a.m., on weekends, even when I’m back in my hometown—you name it,” a user claimed.

“It probably depends on the department as well. When I go home, the work follows me home, which honestly isn’t healthy. There’s no work–life balance. The salary is only RM1,500, but the workload is massive. That said, it can’t be denied that there are indeed people like the ones you mentioned,” another commented.

READ MORE:

Govt worker exposed for allegedly submitting falsified MCs since 2024

M’sian took up loans, now uses monthly pension to pay debts

 The Sun Malaysia