Working from home may offer flexibility and convenience, but a Malaysian woman has shared how following US working hours for the past five years has left her increasingly exhausted.
The 40-year-old woman said in a Threads post that she has been working remotely from 8pm to 5am Malaysian time throughout the week to match the schedule of her US-based work.
She initially found the arrangement manageable because she could work from home without having to deal with micromanagement. She also said the job came with a good salary, supportive colleagues and a pleasant boss, while allowing her to work only from Monday to Friday.
However, the long-term overnight schedule has gradually become harder to cope with, with the woman saying she now feels physically and mentally drained from constantly working during the night.
She also claimed that her GERD and gastric problems had worsened, while feelings of anxiety had become more frequent.
Despite her struggles, the woman said leaving the job was not an easy decision.
“I am already 40. It feels difficult and tiring to look for another job, go through interviews and learn new things,” she wrote in one reply.
She also admitted that she felt her chances of securing another suitable position were becoming slimmer as she got older.
Her post prompted other Malaysians who had worked similar night shifts to share their own experiences. Some said they had eventually moved to jobs with Malaysian working hours after years of disrupted sleep and constant fatigue.
Others urged her to prioritise her wellbeing rather than remain solely because of the salary and benefits. Several suggested that she begin exploring other opportunities while keeping her current job instead of resigning immediately.
The woman said she had also been married for only two months and that working from home at least allowed her to spend more time with her husband despite their unusual schedule.
Still, she acknowledged that the overnight hours remained the biggest drawback of an otherwise comfortable job.
She said that if she had to maintain the same schedule while commuting to an office every day, she did not believe she would be able to cope.
