Among the changes wrought by the extended Covid pandemic lockdowns spread over two years, none may be as impactful and irreversible as the very nature of work.
Employers large and small, with a traditional mindset are finding that setting time limits after which everyone troops dutifully back to work, is just not working.
India-specific findings of a global study by technology company HP, released on 8 November, puts its central finding in stark terms: “Indian employees are unwilling to go back to the office full-time as they are relishing the hybrid work model, which became a necessity in the last two years, due to the pandemic.”
Some 72 per cent find a hybrid model improves their productivity; an overwhelming 92 per cent believe it gives them a much-needed work-life balance.”
Says Ketan Patel, Managing Director, HP India: “Hybrid work in India is here to stay. Organisations need to re-evaluate a hybrid workplace culture that offers flexibility and work-life balance while encouraging inclusivity, engagement, and a sense of well-being among employees.”
Networking technology leader Cisco, conducted a similar Hybrid Work Study six months ago. It was titled in unambiguous words addressed to all employers: “Employees are ready for hybrid work. Are you?”
The survey revealed that three of four Indian employees favoured a hybrid work environment in the future. They cited saving time between four and eight hours a week, presumably on travel, as a big plus.
Cisco
This confirmed what Cisco realised when its video conferencing and online collaboration tool Webex, experienced the world’s second-highest usage in India, outside its home turf, the US. To address this huge demand, Cisco last month set up dedicated India infrastructure and a data centre for Webex.
Says Daisy Chittilapilly, President, Cisco India and SAARC: “With this dedicated infrastructure, we can now offer enhanced performance at a much lower cost to our customers, and empower their move to a successful hybrid working future.”
The India-specific pricing for Webex services is expected to be lower by 50 per cent than the global pricing.
What exactly does Hybrid Work mean? In its simplest form hybrid work means employees are able to work partly from home, partly at their employer’s premises and partly from anywhere else – maybe from dedicated work spaces which may or may not belong to the employer.
A blog by Sheryl of Zoho’s Cliq group, lays out the four different forms this could take:
‘At-will’ model: Employees are provided with the flexibility to come to the office depending on their convenience.
‘Split-week’ model: Work days can be divided into work-from-office days and work-from-home days. For example: employees could choose to work from the office for two days and work from home for the rest of the week.
‘Shift-work’ model: Many organisations have already been operating in this model where some employees on the team work a morning shift and the rest work in afternoon or evening shifts.
‘Week-by-week’ model: This model allows employees to alternate weeks working remotely and in the office. This is a great option for employees located far away from the office, as it allows them to consolidate their travel and take alternating weeks off from their commute.
Read More at https://swarajyamag.com/technology/professionals-in-india-tell-employers-hybrid-work-is-here-to-stay-deal-with-it