In cities like New Delhi and Bangalore, where commuting is an office-goer’s worst nightmare, working from home – or close to it – is like sitting on cloud 9. Bingo! Turns out, flexible working, is what the world is moving towards.
A report by Regus, a global workplace provider that surveyed 44,000 people in 105 countries online this year, says, “Flexible working is becoming increasingly popular, with half of the global workforce reporting that they work outside the main office at least part of the week.”
Whether it’s India, China, Germany, or Mexico, the findings are not very different globally.
The Regus survey shows that at least 48 percent of professionals prefer to work closer to home while at least 54 percent of respondents confirm that companies like theirs are looking to increase the number of remote workers.
Guess why? It makes for a happier workforce and companies get to cut costs and derive more productivity. It is also a big plus for mothers, carers, and older professionals in the workforce.
Regus cites a study by telephone service provider Vodafone that shows 86 percent of multinational enterprise businesses consider the implementation of mobile flexible working as a medium or high priority.
Devleena Basu, a senior counsel at SAP, one of the world’s largest IT companies, works from home two to three days a week. “There are no specific working hours, so to say, as long as the work gets done. I can actually make it a full five days from home, but I prefer to go twice, as meetings and catching up is also important.”
The painful commute from Delhi to the office hub of Gurgaon is a major reason. “I save at least three hours daily by avoiding the commute. For firms, it’s a great way to retain workers, especially women. Plus, it helps them optimize on office space,” she adds.
At least 63 percent of respondents in the Regus survey report that they manage a remote worker at least some of the time. The figure peaks in India, and dips in Japan, where face-to-face office culture is still very strong.
Tech in Asia, headquartered in Singapore, also operates on remote working. Many of its employees in China, India, and Indonesia work from home, at all hours, and smoothly, through a virtual office.
Jayati Singh, director of health and wellness at Philips India, and a mother of two, told Tech in Asia, “I work from home once a week. It is part of our inclusion policy – to enable working mothers to strike a balance between work and home.”
Plenty of reasons to work remote
Future is flexi
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