Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Employee Well-Being: Perspectives from a Developing Economy

This book contributes toward the understanding of the human experience at work during the pandemic and its implications on employee well-being in the context of Malaysia, a developing economy with its own set of unique challenges.   Very little research has been done about this issue to date, particularly in Malaysia. This book aims to bridge this gap by examining the Malaysian perspective of the concept of employee well-being in detail with the overarching goal of serving as a guide toward overcoming the challenges wrought on by the ever-changing post-pandemic environment. Different conditions and experiences are discussed to contextualize the unique ways in which individuals react to difficulties with an emphasis on how organizations can assist at a micro-level to allow employees to overcome such difficulties.

Raida Abu Bakar
Raida Abu Bakar is an associate professor at the Department of Management, Universiti Malaya. Her area of research interest is organizational behavior/psychology with a specific focus on work engagement, work-home conflict, and employee well-being/happiness. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Management from Purdue University, USA, an MBA from Universiti Malaya, Malaysia, and Ph.D. from RMIT University, Australia. Her research has been published in International Journal of Human Resource Management, Journal of Business Strategy and Development, International Journal of Training and Development, among others. She has 20 years of experience in consultancy and research projects. She was a consultant to numerous projects, i.e., Ministry of Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development, Master Builder Association of Malaysia, ANGKASA, Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan, and many others. Raida's current interest is in qualitative research. Rosmawani Che Hashim: Rosmawani Che Hashim is a senior lecturer at University of Malaya (UM) with 27 years of teaching experience. Her areas of expertise are Commercial Law, International Trade Law, and Banking Law. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) degree in 1992 and Bachelor of Shariah Law (Hons) degree in 1993 from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Following her Bachelor's degree, she obtained her Master's in International Commercial Law from the University of Nottingham, the UK, in 1995. She holds her Ph.D. in Islamic Banking and Finance Law at International Islamic Banking and Finance Institute, (IIiBF) IIUM. She began her carrier as a lecturer at Universiti Utara Malaysia in 1995 before transferring to UM in 2005. Currently, she is teaching Commercial Law and Legal Aspects of Banking Law at the Faculty of Business and Economics, (FBE). Apart from her considerable teaching experience and administration posts, she is active in literary pursuits. She published articles in her related field in various social sciences journals, books as well as proceedings international conferences. Her research area covers legal issues in commercial and banking laws and mental health and well-being at a workplace. Low Man Chung: Low Man Chung is currently a Ph.D. candidate from Faculty of Business and Economics in University of Malaya, Malaysia. He specializes in management. His Ph.D. thesis focuses on understanding work intensity and its role in employees' work and non-work domains. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in Computer and Electronic Engineering from University Malaysia Sabah in 2017, followed by Master's degree in International Business from Monash University, 2019. Prior to joining University of Malaya, he had experiences in technology-related business analyses. His research interests revolve around improving the well-being of various stakeholders in the workplaces, within and across contexts.
Mohammad Rezaur Razzak: Mohammad Rezaur Razzak is an assistant professor of Strategic Management, Entrepreneurship and Family Business at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. He obtained his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1984, followed by an MBA from the Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA, in 1985. He was conferred with a Ph.D. with distinction from the University of Malaya in January 2020, specializing in family business studies. Dr. Razzak has over 20 years of experience in various industrial and corporate positions in the USA and in Bangladesh. Furthermore, he has been working as an academic for the last 15 years. He served as the head of the Business School at BRAC University in Bangladesh, and an as a part-time lecturer at University of Malaya, during theperiod when he was pursuing his doctoral degree. His research interests are primarily in family business studies, digital entrepreneurship, migrant entrepreneurship, and influence of emerging technology on the personal and work domains of individuals. His current focus is on understanding how organizations building resilience to possible new shocks may disrupt business operations in the future due to potential new sources of global shocks such as pandemics and impact of climate change. Sharmila Jayasingam: Sharmila Jayasingam received her MBA and Ph.D. from the University of Science Malaysia in the field of Management. She is currently an associate professor in leadership and organizational behavior at the Faculty of Business and Economics, Universiti Malaya. Prior to joining Universiti Malaya, she was teaching courses such as management, leadership, and knowledge management at the Universiti Tenaga Nasional and Multimedia University. Her research is interdisciplinary and addresses knowledge management issues, leadership, and organizational behavior. Her current interest includes the influence of social media on leadership effectiveness, happiness, and well-being at the workplace. She has written several journal articles which have been published in Journal of Knowledge Management, Current Psychology, Knowledge Management Research and Practice, Industrial Management and Data Systems, International Journal of Human Resources Management, Management Research, Studies in Higher Education, and many other outlets. She has several years of experience in consultancy projects with agencies such as Asian Institute of Finance (AIF) on a project on Talent Management, Permodalan Nasional Berhad, FELDA, HC Consultancy, and so forth. She strongly believes that theories from academic research need to be translated to practical solutions for the workplace.