The possibility to work in hybrid models expands over IT – survey
The report presents the results of a survey of 400 working women, more than one-third of whom were mixed professionals. Of the respondents, 55% belong to the technology, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology, business, and consulting services sectors, which are ICT-intensive.
The possibility to work in hybrid models expands over IT – survey
The hybrid work model is more prevalent in organizations with a relatively large workforce. According to one report, women at higher levels of the organizational hierarchy are more likely to be offered and take up the option to work in hybrid work models.
Some 69% of respondents working in a hybrid mode reported improvements in managing personal finances – which is consistent with existing literature highlighting lower costs as a benefit of hybrid work. This is according to the report, titled ‘Hybrid Models and Women’s Work in India,’ published by LEAD at Krea University, IWWAGE in collaboration with Zoom Video Communications. The survey also shows that 55% of respondents reported an increase in motivation at work.
The report presents the results of a survey of 400 working women, more than one-third of whom were mixed professionals. Of the respondents, 55% belong to the technology, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology, business, and consulting services sectors, which are ICT-intensive. 21% come from consumer goods, social services, teaching, or real estate and construction, suggesting that the opportunity to work in hybrid models is expanding beyond technology-intensive sectors.
Of those surveyed, 89% considered time savings on commuting to be the most important benefit of the hybrid model. Four out of five respondents (80%) also consider flexible working hours to be an important benefit.
Hybrid employees in metropolitan areas report greater flexibility and involvement in the workplace than their counterparts in non-metropolitan areas. More than half (55%) of respondents living in non-metropolitan areas perceive the different resources available at home compared to the office as a major disadvantage.
Preethi Rao, associate director, LEAD at Krea University, said, “With access to the right infrastructure, hybrid work has the potential to offer women flexible employment opportunities beyond the big cities.” However, the ability to work remotely and the ease of transitioning to hybrid work vary by women’s location (metro/other), seniority level, and sector. Future efforts can focus on filling data gaps, developing use cases for hybrid work across industries and regions, and creating policies that enable equal participation in the workforce.”
Commenting on the report, Iravati Damle, Head of Government Relations, India, Zoom, said, “We are encouraged that the findings of this report confirm the value of flexible work for women’s participation in the economy. Workplace flexibility helps employees better balance their work and personal lives and attract, engage and retain a gender-mixed workforce.”
“Flexible work models improve workers’ access to opportunities, enable productivity, foster collaboration, and lead to a better work climate for companies, which is important for attracting and retaining top talent. “Implementing policies and initiatives that promote flexibility will also support women’s participation in the workforce,” Damle stated.
Globally, 21 countries have implemented some form of hybrid workforce regulation in the wake of the pandemic. Establishing equitable policies for hybrid work is an important step in expanding the employment spectrum and providing women with greater choice and flexibility in shaping their careers.
