Malaysia is working on its first national policy for mental health at work, and the draft should be ready by September or October this year. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the Health Ministry needs that time to finish talking to the other parties involved before it writes the final policy and guidelines.

Who The Ministry Is Talking To Before The Draft Is Ready

The engagement sessions involve the Human Resources Ministry, the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF), and the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC). Between them, these groups cover the rules for workplace safety, the employers who would pay for any changes, and the unions that speak for workers.

Dzulkefly said the timeline gives his team enough room to hold those sessions and then develop the policy and guidelines. He spoke to reporters after his ministry’s 2026 Merdeka Celebration programme for Negri Sembilan, held at Hospital Rembau on Thursday, 30 July. He first announced the plan on 15 July, and said then that it was in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Policy Will Cover Workload, Not Only Counselling

Dzulkefly said the policy will go further than counselling services. It will also take into account work-life balance and support for employees who are struggling.

He said the aim is for workplaces to have the capacity to support the mental wellbeing of their staff, and to reduce the risk of burnout and heavy workloads. Burnout, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines it, is what happens when stress at work builds up over a long stretch and never gets dealt with properly. Long periods of burnout at work, and not in other areas of your life, can lead to serious mental health illnesses such as depression and anxiety. 

Where This Could Show Up In Your Own Working Life

The WHO describes the symptoms of burnout as feeling drained of energy, feeling negative or distant about your job, and getting less done than you used to. If that sounds like your last few months at work, you do not have to wait for the guidelines due in the last quarter of the year. Being worn down by your job is a health issue, and you can ask your employer for changes now.

Since 1 January 2023, Section 60P of the Employment Act 1955 has let you apply to your employer to change your working hours, your working days, or where you work. The application has to be in writing. Your employer then has 60 days to approve or refuse it in writing, and if the answer is no, they have to give you their reasons.

Your employer can still say no, and the law does not force them to agree. You do get a written record and a stated reason for the refusal. The same 2023 amendments also cut the maximum working week from 48 hours to 45.

DOSH is the government agency that enforces workplace safety law. It can inspect a workplace and order an employer to fix conditions that put staff at risk, though this has mostly meant physical dangers such as faulty machinery. If the new policy treats long hours and heavy workloads as a safety risk too, a complaint about your hours could go to DOSH rather than stopping with your manager.

If things feel heavier than you can manage on your own, ask for help. Consultations with a registered psychiatrist or psychologist can be claimed back at tax time, capped at RM1,000 within the wider medical expense relief. For immediate help, Talian HEAL is free to call on 15555, every day from 8am to midnight.

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