Many facets of our lives, including the workplace, have been affected by Covid-19. We’ve gone from real- to virtual- to hybrid- operations in quick time. All of us are returning to working from home as the second wave threatens to peak.

Employees have been adapting to the changing climate, but what is unknown is what they feel about the new normal. Have employers accepted remote working? Are they willing to stick with it in the long run?

ICICI Lombard General Insurance recently conducted a pan-India survey of more than 1,000 participants. Employees from a variety of fields, including IT, financial services, telecom, e-commerce and consumer goods, from a combination of metro and smaller cities were studied. Here’s what they found:

1. Work from Home (WFH)

WFH or hybrid working is more popular in metro areas. Since March 2020, 70 per cent of employees in metro cities have worked from home or partly from home, compared to just 52 per cent in smaller cities. More than 70 per cent of respondents thought their output had stayed the same or increased with WFH, which is a positive indicator. In reality, 35 per cent assumed WFH had improved their efficiency, slightly or dramatically. A third of the respondents wanted to devote more time to household tasks and care for family members, including the elderly, and felt work from office disrupted this.

1. Work from Office (WFO)

Since March 2020, WFO is more prevalent in smaller towns. The primary motivation for most employees working from office is the company’s mandate, and the need to be physically present in the workplace. Just 4 per cent of metro respondents and 6 per cent of those from smaller cities were unhappy with WFH. Shortage of space at home was a challenge for 36 per cent of respondents, an issue more pronounced in smaller cities, implying that finding viable residential alternatives can be difficult in these areas.

Conclusion

Hybrid mode (partial WFH, partial WFO) is a big favourite among respondents, with 52 per cent opting for it. For those who choose hybrid mode of work, 41 per cent want to WFH on three days of the week, while 25 per cent want to WFH on two days. Attending sessions or viewing physical records at work were the main factors for preferring WFO on these days.

“The survey has provided much-needed lessons in assisting our own journey in embracing a hybrid work paradigm, where 50 per cent of workers will operate from a non-office position in the long run,” said Jerry Jose, Head, Human Resources, ICICI Lombard General Insurance.