Malaysian woman says boss demanded live location during holiday or be marked absent

A Malaysian woman revealed that her boss demanded live location sharing during approved leave, calling it a violation of privacy.

 

According to her post, leave applications were left pending until live location access was granted.(Pexel)

A Malaysian woman claimed that her employer demanded that she share her live location while on annual leave, including when travelling abroad, reported the South China Morning Post.

The employee, who posts under the handle @\_nnadrahhh, took to social media on June 10 to ask if such a demand was “normal.” She said her boss insisted it was a “new rule” that applied to everyone in the company and that failure to comply would result in the employee being marked “absent,” even if they had already applied for leave.

According to her post, leave applications were left pending until live location access was granted. “I guess I am just a slave,” she wrote in response to a follower who asked what law the superior was referencing.

‘I was angry…’

The woman said she was on a trip to an island off Malaysia at the time of posting but did not share the name of her employer. Despite being on approved annual leave, she said her boss made repeated calls after she chose not to share her location. Later, she posted a picture of herself enjoying the beach, expressing her frustration: “I was angry and ended up not sharing my location.”

Her story attracted hundreds of comments from users who slammed the company’s actions. “This is not normal. Your boss is crazy,” wrote one. Another questioned the legality of the demand: “How can your boss breach your privacy like that? Staff can do whatever they want during their annual leave.”

Some added that such demands were only reasonable if the company was sponsoring the travel. “What they do is a threat to your safety and your personal life. I would quit and get a new job if it were me,” said another comment.

The woman also alleged that the company required staff to share live location even during unpaid or sick leave. She said she plans to report the incident to Malaysia’s Department of Labour if the company repeats the demand.

Under Malaysian labour law, employees are entitled to a minimum of eight days of paid annual leave each year.