Press Clippings On Teleworking from The Star


PETALING JAYA: Quitting her job as a systems engineer to start up her own business was a risky step for Dayang Lily Abang Muas, but she did it for the love of her children. 

Three years on, the 33-year-old mother of three children is a successful home-based entrepreneur with a thriving e-business selling Islamic books for children. 

“Giving up my full-time job to work from home was well worth the risk as it has given me the opportunity to be there for my children during their vital years,” she said in an interview yesterday. 

When told that the Cabinet had two weeks ago approved the home office concept, she described it as a great move towards empowering women to start business at home.  

Echoing her sentiments was Phang Sow Yoong, who began working from home in 1977 but is now running her own office.  

“Starting up a business is tough and is not easy to sustain. I’ve seen many women giving up and returning to corporate work. 

“It would be good if corporations could create part-time jobs for their employees so that they could spend some time working from home,” said the founder of Flexxi Associates Sdn Bhd. 

Yesterday, Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Shahrizat Jalil announced the Cabinet’s approval in her speech before launching the women’s summit entitled Women in Leadership: Towards Excellence at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. 

The event coincided with Women’s Day today.  

The “home office” concept is aimed at encouraging women, senior citizens and the disabled to do business from home and at the same time contribute to the economy.  

Shahrizat said that the Government would have to look at the types of businesses, number of employees to be recruited, condition of the houses and other factors in coming out with the guidelines. 

In this connection, her ministry would be working with the Housing and Local Government, Finance, Entrepreneurial and Corporate Development, and Home Ministries. 

She said it would take four months for the guidelines to materialise.  

Source: Article by Olivia Lee from The Star News, 25 August 2004

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