For countless commuters petrol drain on tight monthly budgets and daily grind in endless traffic test to sanity
PETALING JAYA: While the Malaysian Employers’ Federation (MEF) recently said work-from-home (WFH) arrangements would not be the best solution to mitigate rising living costs due to higher global oil prices, many Malaysians say that viewpoint is out of touch with reality, and painfully so.
For countless commuters petrol is a monthly drain on already tight budgets.
Workers argue that dismissing WFH as insignificant also ignores the daily grind of millions trapped in endless traffic.
“I’m burning nearly RM300 a month just to get to work and back,“ said Liyana (not her real name), a corporate employee in Kuala Lumpur.
“During peak hours the traffic is unbearable. Every extra ringgit for petrol hits hard. At my previous company we had the WFH option a few days a week during the pandemic, and it saved me not just money but also my sanity.
“It’s frustrating, even maddening, that some think this wouldn’t make a real difference.”
Liyana said while petrol subsidies like Budi95 offer some relief, the constant commuting takes a toll on both finances and wellbeing.
“It’s not just petrol. Being stuck in traffic every day wears down your car and adds to maintenance costs.
“My job doesn’t require me to be physically in the office all the time. Technology now makes WFH entirely feasible, yet sometimes we’re forced to just show up and stare at a screen for hours with little productive output.
“Hybrid work or staggered hours wouldn’t just save fuel but also save time, reduce stress and make employees more productive.”
Similarly, Siti Farhana Mohd Zainal, 32, a marketing executive in Kuala Lumpur, said many companies could adopt partial WFH without disrupting operations.
“People talk about operational feasibility but during Covid most office-based work was done remotely without problems.
“I saved about RM300 a month on petrol and parking. That’s real money for workers.”
Public-sector employees face the same pressures.
In a recent media conference, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the government is considering WFH arrangements for the public sector, with an official decision expected tomorrow (March 17).
Kamarul (not his real name) said WFH could be a huge relief for him but questioned why private-sector employers are averse to offering the same flexibility.
“It’s great news for me if we get WFH but my sisters, who are in the private sector, are always complaining about their daily commutes.
“I live in Shah Alam and travel to Putrajaya every day. That’s nearly 60km round trip. Petrol alone costs me over RM250 a month, and that doesn’t even include toll or parking fees.
“Even one or two days of WFH each week would make a huge difference to my budget. If this is applied to others also the cost savings would be huge.”
Kamarul said flexible working arrangements are not a luxury but a necessary step to counter rising living costs.
“Ignoring this risks deepening the inequality between urban and suburban employees, particularly for those who must travel long distances daily.”
Despite such views, the MEF is of the view that fuel savings from WFH or staggered hours would be marginal.
Kamarul countered that it misses a crucial point – petrol costs are borne directly by workers, not employers.
Calls for flexible working options are emerging regionally, with countries like Thailand and Vietnam encouraging WFH to offset the impact of Middle East tensions on petrol and energy supply.
The Sun Malaysia
