Malaysia’s good quality of life and technological infrastructure has led to it becoming the latest country to entice digital nomads.

This article was written by ExpatGo contributor Jennifer Dawson.

There’s a lot to love about Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur, but, according to Reuters, the country has experienced something of a downturn when it comes to immigrant workers. Bureaucracy and economic conditions have made the country less appealing, but, recent overtures made by the authorities are starting to help the expat labor market pick back up.

A key part of this is making the work engaging, and making Malaysia somewhere to truly develop and grow — not just for work. This focus, on providing a place where real development can take place, is rooted in an extremely digitized culture and the training that goes hand in hand with that.

TRAINING FOR THE NOMADS

Moving to any new country will bring with it changes in workplace culture that are often alien to what’s experienced back home. Malaysia is no different, and so it’s crucial that employers, and employees, get the most out of training and evaluation. Properly structured training delivered digitally is crucial, and you should look for employers that provide that.

Fortunately, there’s a huge opening in the market for digital companies, and that comes with training packages and routines that may be more familiar to newcomers. Malaysia’s good quality of life and technological infrastructure has led to it becoming the latest country to entice digital nomads, according to Euronews, and that means employers will, and should, be able to offer up-front training to get expats up to pace with top-level training, at the same standard as anything else internationally.

LEARNING THE SAVINGS CONCEPT

Despite there being a big push towards getting new expat talent into Malaysia, there aren’t necessarily all of the legal protections that workers might expect or enjoy when applying. Indeed, as the New Straits Times highlights, the ‘savings program’ – ostensibly designed to prevent overstaying – is creating a headache when it comes to long-term or permanent residency.

Accordingly, it’s important to stay up to date with immigration and labor law. Ensure you have the right immigration documents and permissions, and that you are exercising your labor in a manner that’s allowed under any agreement – and ensure employers are meeting their end of the bargain, too.

HOME COMFORTS

While Malaysia has a differing work culture to other countries, the global nature of its workforce mean that many well recognized working cultures have become part and parcel of the modern workplace. According to HSBC, in a series of guides for expats, that includes embracing western styles of business. That being said, etiquette can be just as diverse as the populace – and so it’s wise to do some reading on greetings, common dress codes, the hours of work and, as with some other Asian nations, the concept of saving face.

Despite Malaysia being a great place to work nomadically, always be vigilant, too. Both in terms of business culture and the law, employers need to lead the way and ensure your landing in Malaysia is a comfortable one.