Stress and burnout in Malaysia- what does the future hold?

 

Malaysia is a south eastern Asian country with a population of 28 million people. Currently classed as a developing nation, Malaysia is fully engaged in an economic transformation plan known as the “ Vision 2020”. The plan was introduced by Malaysia’s former Prime Minister, Dato Seri Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad. The strategic goal is to turn Malaysia into a self-sufficient, developed, industrialised nation by the year 2020. As a fast growing nation, Malaysia is experiencing certain challenges when it comes to talent management and work-life balance in the workforce. As a start, there is a talent gap that needs to be filled in various disciplines. In several business sectors in Malaysia there are initiatives required to ensure that the correct talent is being recruited and that skilled employees are being retained. The well being of employees also needs to be closely monitored as they grapple with increased workload, lack of skilled employees and in some cases language and cultural barriers.

Longer working hours is becoming common place in Malaysia and there is a tendency towards a culture of “admiring” employees who stay back and work late into the evening.  Family, on the other hand, is also highly valued in Malaysian culture and this will often come in conflict with the need to work late, leading to tension and stress.

As the recruitment agency Adecco states : ”..many countries- including Malaysia- are experiencing labour shortages and have a need for a deeper pool of talent.  Malaysia has its fair share of foreign talent in the workplace, but what is crucial is the continued development of home grown talent to meet the country’s labour needs.” 

All companies in Malaysia with a drive for “kaizen” (constant improvement) on a foundation of a scarce talent pool will require high levels of strategic planning, precise recruitment techniques, talent acceleration programmes as well as mentorship programmes. In the process they mustn’t forget the need for a  balanced work culture of task and people orientation as per Hofsted’s masculine and feminine cultural dynamics. This is where Autonom Talent can offer the most benefit! Cutting through cultural biases and barriers, Autonom Talent’s measurement via ECG will provide clear and accurate data from which any talent acceleration programme can be created. With a tailor-made approach, Autonom talent will be able to provide unique support through coaching, consulting and training.

The end result will be:

·         increased talent via up-skilling and recruitment,

·         reduced costs by retaining and promoting talent,

·         develop potential  through mentoring  and coaching

·         higher levels of productivity by motivated, energised employees

As Mahathir stated in his 2020 vision: “In our drive to move vigorously ahead nothing is more important than the development of human resources.... it is blindingly clear that the most important resource of any nation must be the talents, skills, creativity and will of its people. Our people are our ultimate resource. ..Malaysia must give the fullest emphasis possible to the development of this ultimate resource.”

 I am extremely  excited about pioneering  the AutonomTalent methodology here in Malaysia!  It provides the exact technique and support needed to assist companies and individuals with their goals to bridge the gap in inter-personal soft skills and provide the foundation to minimise tension and overload in the work place.

 Best of all, we will be helping people and businesses grow their talent in a challenging environment and in the process provide measurement tools to avoid the pitfalls of stress and burnout that often plagues developed nations!

www.autonomtalent.com
www.blueprintfive.com

 

Sources:

Adecco 2010: Future Trends in Human Resources and Talent attraction strategies in Malaysia

Wawasan 2020: The Way Forward presented by His Excellency YAB Dato' Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the Malaysian Business Council