Managing Workforce Disruptions during the ASEAN Summit

Posted on May 20, 2025 by Victor Gan

“While there’s no legal obligation to change work arrangements, employers must be prepared to mitigate disruption and support their employees during the ASEAN Summit closures.”

As our country prepares to host the ASEAN Summit, employers are reminded the announcement of road and school closures may bring about an impact to the workplace. Reports have indicated that 6 major expressways and 25 roads heading into the city centre will be closed between 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM (in stages) from Friday, 23rd May 2025 to Wednesday, 28th May 2025.

It has also been reported by the Royal Malaysian Police that a full dry run will be conducted on 21st - 22nd May 2025.

We urge employers to consider the following:

Communicating with employees on work travel arrangements Employers, especially those located at locations around the road closures are urged to inform their employees on the need to make special arrangements during this period. Employees should be informed that their usual travel routine would almost certainly be delayed and this would cause disruption to business operation hours. They should therefore make arrangements to utilise public transportation or to leave home earlier.
Implement flexible working hours or work from home arrangements
Companies should consider, wherever possible, to implement flexible or staggered hours of work arrangements or even work from home arrangements during this period.
Please see FAQs below for more information.
Forced leave is not permitted
Kindly take note that employers should not force employees to utilise their annual leave entitlement - any leave application should be made voluntarily by the employee.
However, if you are replacing rest days (especially for shift work), you can do so by proactively engaging with your employees.

We have prepared some Frequently Asked Questions pertaining to this subject matter.

Am I required to make special arrangements for this occasion

No, there is no legal obligation. However, if your office is located in or near the impacted zones, disruptions are very likely.

Can I take disciplinary action for any lateness / absence during this period

Please take note that this is a once-off occurrence and you might need to make special accommodations during this period. We are of the opinion that disciplinary actions should only be considered if:

You have clearly communicated the need for punctuality during this period
You have provided reasonable options, alternatives or flexibility
The employee fails to comply with the above, without any valid reasons

We do not have a flexible working policy. Can we implement one for just this occasion?

Yes. You can introduce an impromptu flexible working arrangement for just this occasion.

We have a flexible working arrangement, can we make changes to compulsory days in the office?

Yes, in fact this is a good idea. You should communicate arrangements with your employees and rotate office days (and remote days) with days that are not affected by the road / school closures

Can we temporarily change our normal hours of work?

Yes, as long as your temporary hours comply with the provisions of the Employment Act 1955. If you are considering this, we would recommend that you issue an official letter clearly outlining the temporary hours and the period in which this will be in force.

What are the list of roads affected by the road closures?

We attach the list of road closures affected (as of 19 May 2025) by the ASEAN Summit. Source: https://www.bernama.com/en/crime_courts/news.php?id=2424417