The Challenge of Work-from-Home in India Inc. - A TimesJobs Study

NEW DELHI, June 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

When 90% employees say that they want an option to work-from-home, what's stopping India Inc. from embracing it?  

Work-from-home is one of the prime workplace debates lately and there exists a huge perception gap between employers and employees when it comes to having or not having a recognized work-from-home policy.

According to a survey of over 1,100 employees and almost 800 employers by TimesJobs, nearly 60% organizations do not have a formal work-from-home policy. Incidentally, 75% employers are not even comfortable with this idea, whereas 90% employees are keen on having such a policy at work.

"To survive in today's competitive business world, companies need to transform from a command and control culture to empower and enhance value system. Organizations that are able to create a culture that nurtures agile, high-performance teams will thrive. Policies such as work-from-home and flexi-working create a culture of trust and communicate the company's belief in its high-performance employees which in turn attracts and retains top talent," says Ramathreya Krishnamurthi, Business Head, TimesJobs.

Productivity and Performance Mismatch 

The TimesJobs study further reveals that 70% employers still believe that productivity gets hampered when employees work from home. Contrary to this, 44% employees feel that work-from-home helps boost productivity. Also, 80% organizations say no to work-from-home as they say that they have no tracking mechanisms to manage workforce who opt for it.

Risks outweigh Benefits 

While employers do believe that work-from-home has certain benefits, as 40% see its biggest impact in boosting their employer brand, 30% see it as useful in curbing attrition and another 30% find it beneficial in improving employee productivity which is further linked to organizational output and profitability.
 
However, the risks outweigh the benefits as about 40% employers see a lack of control as the biggest challenge of a work-from-home policy, reveals the TimesJobs survey. Resistance from top management in acceptance and implementation of work-from-home strategy is another big challenge cited by 30% surveyed organizations. A lack of employee interest for work-from-home options is stated as a deterrent by 5% employers.

Roles are not Suitable  

Moreover, 25% employers believe that there are many jobs, which are not conducive to work-from-home arrangements and that is a hindrance in creating such a policy. Of these employers, 42% say work-from-home does not work well in IT related areas of work, 40% say it is not practical for logistics, supply chain management and procurement roles, and another 40% find it is not useful in customer service functions.  

Nearly 35% employers feel work-from-home policy is unsuitable for those working in hospitality and related domains, another 35% say this for administrative profiles, 30% feel it does not work well for engineering profile, 25% see it inappropriate for accounting and finance roles. For 10% work-from-home is useless for sales, business development roles and 5% feel it is irrelevant for those working in entertainment, media and journalism segments.

Future Outlook 

Amidst all these reservations about work-from-home, while 35% organizations are unsure of adopting any such policy in near future, 40% employers say they already have a work-from-home policy but they will modify it to suit the changing needs of employees. And 25% organisations plan to implement this policy in near future.

About TimesJobs: 

TimesJobs, a flagship business of Times Business Solutions (TBS), is a platform to help competent professionals enhance their career growth. With over 25 million registered jobseekers across the board and more than 60 million page views every month, it is the most preferred career portal among ambitious and talented professionals who want to make smarter career decisions that accelerate their career progression. 

TimesJobs is leading in the recruitment and employment space with its pioneering and dynamic divisions because it successfully meets all the needs of the jobseekers. Its major platforms include:

- TechGig: India's biggest dais for tech professionals to help them Learn, Showcase and Compete in the IT industry.

- JobBuzz: A well-known portal that provides information and insights about different companies, job profiles and interview processes. 

- StepAhead: StepAhead offers Professional Resume writing and distribution services, career astrology, and resume improvement to help jobseekers accelerate their career.

Also, TimesJobs has the largest collection of jobs in the market, which ensures that whenever and wherever there is a great opportunity, jobseekers will discover it on the platform.

In the recruitment market as well, being the biggest platform for competent professionals who think of their careers first, TimesJobs has become the destination of choice for recruiters who seek to engage with the right talent.

Media Contact:
Aseem Seth 
Head of Corporate Communications 
Times Business Solutions - A Division of Times Internet Ltd. 
Email: [email protected]   
Twitter: @aseems 
Tel: +91-120-663-6338, +91-9910273367