53% of the respondents from India said they prefer telecommuting, while 47% prefer to work from the office every day, reveals a recent survey on workplace flexibility by Randstad, one of the country’s leading HR service providers.
Almost equivalent number of male (52%) and female (54%) respondents mentioned that they would prefer telecommuting and this preference was high among those aged 45 years and above.
According to the report, while 58% of the respondents are happy with their current work schedule, 36% would like to work more at a higher pay and a meager 3% of the respondents are willing to work more at the same pay.
The findings also revealed that 50% of the respondents prefer a standard-hours workweek, whereas 37% would like to work variable hours every workday. 8% of the respondents also mentioned that they would prefer to work longer days and shorter weeks. The survey captured the views of around 7500 respondents from India.
How much do Indian employees actually work?
40% of the respondents from India reported that they work more than 45 hours per week. The survey findings also reflected that 46% of men clock in more than 45 hours at work every week, whereas 32% of women do so. On an average, women work 35 hours and men 39 hours a week, as per the survey findings.
Presenting the survey insights, Dr. Moorthy K. Uppaluri, MD & CEO, Randstad India, said, “India is stepping on to a new workplace era equipped by both technology and demographic capabilities. Today, an increasing number of organizations are viewing work as ‘something you do’, rather than ‘somewhere you go’ and there is a lot of focus to take work to the people as opposed to bringing the people to work. This will erase the border around organizations, thus broadly redefining the workplace and offering the much wanted freedom and empowerment to the workforce.”
See: India is likely to Employ 2.9 million Flexi Staff by 2018: Report
“Creating an effective telecommuting program for your organization is not about where employees work from, but how they work more efficiently; and to achieve this, it is critical to implement comprehensive systems and processes. Clarity on what the telecommuting environment entails and what is expected out of the employees is imperative to productivity and accountability, thus ensuring efficacy of such employee friendly policies,” he added.
Other Key Findings:
Motivating factors to work more:
The prospect of a higher income is the primary motivational factor that drives Indian employees to work harder. 76% of the respondents cited this factor as the main reason to work more. This was followed by promotion and personal development at 55% and 42% respectively.
By gender: Women are motivated to work more for promotions, men for increasing influence at work.
By age: Younger workforce is motivated to work more for promotion and development opportunities and those aged 45 years and above for higher income.
By education: Those with lower education work more to avoid home chores and those with higher education work more for promotion and developing greater self-esteem.
Factors influencing employees not to overwork:
A healthier work-life balance and less stress (61%) are the primary factors influencing employees not to overwork. 54% wanted to have more free time and 51% mentioned they would not overwork to be able to attend to a family member/relative. 42% also said they wanted to spend more time with their children.
By gender: Women do not overwork to spend more time with their children, whereas men do so to get more leisure time or to pursue studies.
By age: More personal time is a key factor for the younger workforce to avoid overworking and those aged 45 years and above do so for engaging in volunteering work.
By education: Those with lower education prefer not to overwork to get more time to study and those with higher education do so to decrease stress and focus on family.
Also read: Women in India Earn 27% Less than Men: Research Finds
Image credit: livemint.com
