Another change that should be seen as a welcome update is the increased entitlement of paid maternity leave for working mothers who are recovering post-delivery. Previously, the Employment Act provided for 60 days of maternity leave, but with the amendment, mothers of new-borns will now be entitled to 98 days to recuperate.
On the flip side, extended maternity leave may result in increased costs for employers due to the need for temporary replacements or additional resources to cover the workload of absent employees. This may impact the productivity of the remaining team members and result in being overworked. Ultimately, the amendment may lead to a perception that hiring females will result in increased costs and this may lead to bias in the recruitment process, with employers preferring male candidates over female candidates.
Given the significant increase in maternity leave days, we asked the people on LinkedIn what impact this will have on recruiting female employees and 52% of the 437 respondents opined that fewer females will be hired due to the amendment. These results do reflect some of the fears people have had regarding this amendment, as it may impact the recruitment of women and potentially widen the gender gap in the Malaysia workforce.
To address these challenges, employers need to consider a few things – the first of which is employee loyalty. Loyalty is a challenge in the current employment landscape, and it is no secret that employers that take good care of their employees will earn their loyalty. By providing the care needed to mothers, and ensuring they have the time needed for maternity care, employers can expect a happy and loyal employee to return stronger and more mature than before.
The next is to explore alternative work arrangements such as remote work, job sharing, or part-time work. These arrangements can help mitigate the financial burden on employers by allowing them to adjust their staffing needs while still providing support for mothers of new-borns. Most importantly, employers should strive to eliminate bias in the recruitment process by focusing on the skills and qualifications of candidates rather than gender.
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