Hybrid work model catching on in India

Only 5% of respondents intend to work in virtual mode

With the world seemingly getting back to normal after the severe disruptions caused by the pandemic, most businesses are now asking their employees to get back to office, albeit with some offering flexibility of a hybrid working model.

According to a recent survey by people supply chain company TeamLease, a little over 58% of responding organisations from industries ranging from technology to manufacturing to BFSI to FMCG to retail to health to automobile, believe that 2022 is the year offices will become completely in-office. Only about 5% of respondents said that they intend to stay a virtual-only organisation for the foreseeable future.

“For most companies, the journey to move from being 100% in office to 100% virtual had been reasonably smooth. The fact that this lasted for a long time and many believed work forever could be in this model. However, most underestimated that coming to work is not just about doing work,” Nitin Sethi, Chief Executive Officer, Human Capital Solutions at global professional services firm Aon (India & South Asia), told The Hindu.

Mr. Sethi added that humans need a social infrastructure, and given that a large part of time is spent at work, the office fulfils that need. The best companies are ensuring they keep some advantages of working virtual (flexibility to employees, saving travel time, increased talent catchment etc) and at the same time build and keep the advantage of having people at work (engagement, productivity, culture, teamwork etc), he said.

“As companies make this transition, some employees, some roles, some teams will definitely move more hybrid than others and some may completely. At the same time, some employees – both current and prospective may feel that they are better off choosing one model over the other…Talent catchment areas have increases and this changed will lead to better and more diverse (not just gender) talent pool and we know that better diversity of talent delivers superior business results,” he added.

The TeamLease survey found that although 43.46% of HR leaders conceded that their employees want to return to work, 76.78% of organisations want to give their employees the preference to choose their work model.