Because of the tight job market, many Malaysians have to deal with long commutes that put their health and happiness at risk in order to take care of family duties, few options for moving, high housing prices in cities, and few job chances. It’s important for companies that want to keep their workers that they know how these journeys affect their health and work.
Researchers from Universiti Malaya and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia say that being around traffic-related things for a long time is very bad for your health. Dr. Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh, a public health doctor at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, talked about how dangerous it is to breathe dirty air outside. The World Health Organization says that every year this leads to the deaths of millions of people too soon. A long trip can cause lung diseases, high blood pressure, and a higher risk of diabetes and stroke in the long run, in addition to the short-term effects of air pollution.
To get to work and take care of family duties, employees like Mohd Hafiz Abd Rahman and Fendi make sacrifices, according to the New Straits Times. Every day, they drive hundreds of kilometers to get to work. Being there for their loved ones, even if it hurts and stresses them out, brings a lot of satisfaction to many people, like Hafiz.
There are also problems in the public sector. For example, Fendi and other government workers have to deal with a lot of red tape that makes it hard for them to get transfers. This makes their journeys longer and can be bad for their health. Abdul Rahman Mohd Nordin of the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services said that civil servants who have to deal with long journeys need more help and flexibility.
Nur Alina Jabir and other professionals like her go on long trips to find better job opportunities while still taking care of their families. To be clear, though, companies need to put worker health first if they care about safety and health issues that come up because of long trips.
