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A Malaysian company has drawn attention on social media for presenting unusual workplace awards that recognise employees for frequent medical certificates (MC) and sleeping on the job.
The incident came to light through a TikTok video posted by user @elninaz, showing what appeared to be the company’s annual dinner.
In the footage, the ceremony featured formal presentations of two unconventional awards: “Most Frequent Medical Leave Employee” and “Best at Sleeping on the Job,” complete with trophies and a large screen displaying nominee lists.
The event showed the award recipients accepting their trophies on stage.
One Year MC?
According to the presentation, the winner of the Anugerah Paling Banyak MC (Most MC Award) was on medical leave the whole year in 2024.
Although no further information is provided, this could have been a joke, or the staff member in question was on leave last year due to medical reasons.
Under Malaysian employment laws, sick leave is 14-22 days annually, depending on the number of years of service.
Employees with more than five years of service are entitled to a maximum of 22 days of sick leave per year and can also take a total of up to 60 days of hospitalisation leave in a year, which includes any sick leave already taken.
If you’ve exhausted all paid sick leave, you can apply for unpaid sick leave, provided you submit a valid MC and your employer approves it.
Even with unpaid leave provisions, 365 days would be extraordinary and likely require exceptional circumstances or multiple severe medical conditions.
The video has since gone viral, with social media users debating whether the awards were intended as a humorous commentary or a serious critique of workplace behaviour.
READ MORE: The MC Epidemic: The Sick Leave Saga Stirring The Workplace
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