Civil servants in Malaysia to work remotely two days a week under new hybrid work policy from 1 August 2026

• The hybrid work model will replace the current work-from-home arrangements introduced amid the Middle East conflict.
• Under the policy, civil servants may work two days from home or from another location approved by their head of department.
• Fixed office days will depend on individual states, with most requiring staff to be in the office on Mondays and Fridays.

Malaysia’s public service will introduce a hybrid work arrangement from 1 August 2026, allowing eligible civil servants to work remotely for two days a week.

The Cabinet agreed on 26 June to implement the Hybrid Working Day, or HBH, as a new norm across the public service. The arrangement is intended to provide more flexible working conditions without reducing existing working hours.

Under the policy, civil servants may work two days from home or from another location approved by their head of department. The remaining three days must be spent in the office, subject to service needs, the suitability of the employee’s role, and conditions set by the government.

Mandatory office days will differ depending on the state’s weekly day off In states where the weekly day off falls on Sunday, civil servants must be in the office on Mondays and Fridays. In Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu, where the weekly day off falls on Friday, office attendance will be mandatory on Sundays and Thursdays.

The Public Service Department said the arrangement would not affect the delivery of essential government services. Counter services and functions that require a physical presence will continue as usual, including in the security, defence, education, health, and court sectors.

The department said HBH forms part of the government’s wider effort to modernise the public service through more results-oriented work practices and the leveraging digital technology. A monitoring system will be used to support service delivery, integrity, and performance.

The hybrid work model will replace the current work-from-home arrangements introduced amid the Middle East conflict. Detailed guidelines and conditions for implementing HBH are expected to be issued by the Public Service Department in the near future.