The New Norm: UMP Staff’s 3 Working Procedures during CMCO

Pekan, 27 May 2020 – Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) campus recovers its’ former liveliness after almost two months being left due to the Restriction Movement Order (RMO) in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Some UMP staff can be seen going to work in stages according to the procedures that have been decided. 

UMP staff can be seen entering the premise as early as 7.30 a.m and undergo the screening process at the guardhouse. 

All staff that return to work would also need to fill the health screening back to work online form. 

According to UMP Pro-Chief Operating Officer, Abd. Rahman Haji Safie, there are three working procedures that have been implemented which are Flexible Working Hours (FWH) as written in the UMP Administrative Circular No. 8 2019.  

“Our staff have also been considered to Work from Home (WFH) during the CMCO, if their absent does not affect the service and the task is able to be completed by working from home.

“Meanwhile the third one is rotational WFH Flexi Procedure that combines the requirement of work implementation in the office and at home for group or individual in two WFH Flexi categories named weekly Rotational BDR Flexi or daily Rotational BDR Flexi", said him, advising staff to obtain approval for the work procedure during CMCO period from their respective department heads.

According to the President of Persatuan Akademik UMP (PAKAD), Mohd Hairul Ab Rahim, his party welcomed UMP decision with thrilled to be operational in both campuses by stages since 27th May. 

“At the moment, the lecturers are busy preparing the Teaching and Learning (T&L) materials as preparations to start the online classes starting 1st June 2020,” he said. 
Meanwhile, President of Persatuan Kakitangan Sokongan UMP (KESUMP), Abd Latip Haji Deris, was glad with the university decision to start its operation since the staffs was required to work from home starting 18th March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“However, there are constraints for the technical and skilled staff including drivers and such, when they are required to WFH since their designated job is 80% in the field.

“In addition, his side also understands the situation of some of the staff, especially those with young children who have to prepare daily necessities at home and at the same time have to deal with instruction or work load regardless of time.

“However, he believes that providing more information particularly to the executioner staff can give them more insight and prepare the staff to face the new norms.

"Some of the online forum sessions conducted recently have been very helpful but the number of support staff involved has been quite limited and this causes the others to be a bit left behind in getting the latest information," he added.

However, he further stated that his side supports the university's effort to reduce staff attendance to the office and greatly appreciated it in order to control the spread of COVID-19 among the campus residents and visitors entering the university compound.

Meanwhile, according to the Operations Assistant at the Academic and International Affairs Department (JHEAA), Mr. Mohd Nor Azmi Ahamad, he still feels awkward complying with the new norms adopted by university management.

“Even though I am quite affected as my previous duty requires me to deal with a lot of people including the students.

“However now, everything needs to be accommodated to make it safer and serves as precautionary measure.

“As staff, we must follow the procedure honestly and with integrity,” he stated.

He is also grateful for the BDR Flexi work procedure as he gets to work on rotational basis with his wife who is also a staff at UMP to look after their children at home.

He will also ensure that he is constantly reachable when it is his turn during the rotational BDR duty.
The same goes for Farawaheda Suhaimi, who is an Assistant Administrative Officer at JHEAA, she was excited on her first day reporting for duty after leaving the office for quite some time.

“This new norms is a new experience for me as I have to manage all university meetings online.

“Working in the office is definitely more comfortable because of the comprehensive facility available in the office.

“For me, the rotational duty approach is the best method. When working by BDR, as a mother, I will manage my children first, and then I will focus on the tasks given since it requires more focus and time," she said.

On the other hand, for Mr. Mohamad Anuar Rahim, an Administrative Assistant (Clerical/ Operations) at the Registry Department, his tasks have not differed much since the nature of his work involves data recording and obtaining information.

He said that with this new procedure, we must always be honest in performing the tasks regardless of whether we are in the office or working from home.

“Nevertheless, if we are working in the office, we have to adhere to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) that have been set up to overcome the spread of this pandemic," he said.

Furthermore, a Senior Executive at the Research & Innovation Department,  Nor Ilma Mustafa Kamal who chooses BDR procedure states that it gives her the convenience of working from home as she is seven months pregnant.

She thinks that BDR is a good choice for her as she also has a pre-existing medical condition which is asthma.

She said that since the government announced the MCO, all her tasks have been carried out online.

“In addition, the BDR work procedure can reduce the anxiety for high-risk staff like me," she said.

 Translation by: Nadira Hana Ab Hamid, Faculty of Manufacturing and Mechatronic Engineering Technology