My company in KL is rolling back WFH. I've been working from home for almost 2 years now and planning to move back to Penang to be with family. I'm a marketing executive, been with this company for 3 years, earning RM6,…
A year into full remote and I realised I had gone entire weeks without a real conversation outside of work calls. Not good. Things that helped: Scheduled human contact: I book two coffee catch-ups per week minimum. In-…
My neighbour started a home renovation two months ago. Here's what I tried, in order of how well it worked. Didn't work: Earplugs (can't hear calls), noise-cancelling headphones alone (not enough for heavy drilling). P…
Not talking about Bali or Chiang Mai, talking about Malaysians who work remotely and have moved within Malaysia to a city that suits their lifestyle better. From conversations I've had: Penang: Most popular. Lower cost…
I'm based in KL. My company is in KL. But I wanted to move to Penang. Here's what I did. Step 1: Established a track record of remote delivery. Spent 3 months being visibly productive on WFH days, sending recaps after e…
Based on what I'm seeing in my network and sector news. Industries enforcing strict RTO (5 days or close): - Malaysian banks (RHB, CIMB, Maybank all pushing toward full office for most roles) - Government and GLCs (almo…
I'm the remote person in a mostly in-office team. After months of feeling like I was watching a conversation through a window, I pushed for some changes. What made the biggest difference: - Meeting facilitator explicitl…
My apartment is 650 square feet. No study room. I share it with my partner who also works from home. Here's what made the biggest difference after two years of figuring it out. Space: A dedicated physical spot, even if…
After two years of hybrid, here are the call behaviours that consistently frustrate colleagues (sourced from an anonymous team survey I ran). Most cited pet peeves: 1. Not muting when not speaking (fan noise, keyboard,…
The government introduced WFH-related tax relief categories that a lot of people aren't fully utilising. Here's a summary for YA 2024 (verify with LHDN or a tax consultant for latest figures). Equipment relief: Purchase…
After three incidents where bad internet cost me important calls, I took this seriously. Sharing what I found. ISPs for home WFH (based on KL/PJ/Selangor experience): - Unifi (TM): most widely available, generally relia…
Company wanted 4 days in office. I wanted 2. Here's how we landed at 3 and how I plan to get to 2. What didn't work: "I'm more productive at home." Everyone says this and it's not persuasive without data. What worked:…
Left a traditional office role for a fully remote company. Six months in, here's what I'd tell myself on day one. The productivity adjustment is real, but not the direction you expect. I became more productive, not less…
I've been tracking this informally for a year, looking at job postings and talking to people in similar roles. My findings (tech roles, primarily): - Fully remote Malaysian companies: salary ranges comparable to or slig…
Tested 11 co-working spaces in KL and PJ over the past 18 months. Here's the honest ranking based on: internet reliability, noise level, value, and community. Tier 1 (worth the money): - Common Ground (multiple location…
Did this 6 months ago. Here's the breakdown, all purchased in Malaysia. Monitor: RM650 LG 27" FHD IPS from Lazada. Not the fanciest but excellent value. If you do creative work, consider an upgrade here. Chair: RM900 O…
After a conversation with our IT team, I have a clearer picture of what most enterprise monitoring setups actually capture. Sharing because there's a lot of myth and anxiety around this. What most enterprise MDM tools c…
My team of 6 is distributed across KL, Penang, and one person in Sabah. Here's what I've figured out by doing it wrong first. What I got wrong initially: Treating remote management like in-office management with video c…
I wanted to settle the debate for myself with actual numbers, not feelings. Tracked output across 6 months: 3 WFH-majority and 3 office-majority (before and after my company's hybrid policy changed). What I tracked: Del…
Genuine question and I want real answers. I've been in tech for 8 years, mostly in and around Cyberjaya, and the last two years have felt different. Pre-pandemic: Cyberjaya made sense as a hub. Many MNCs and tech compan…
Remote work in Malaysia has settled into something messier than either side predicted, and these threads track it. Which industries are holding firm on return-to-office and which quietly gave up enforcing it, how hybrid schedules work in practice when half the team ignores them, whether four-day weeks are realistic here, and what it is like working remotely for an overseas employer from KL or Penang. There is practical ground too: negotiating flexibility into an offer, staying visible when you are not in the office, and the parts of remote work people found harder than expected.