In celebration of International Women’s Day, International Workplace Group (IWG), the world’s largest provider of flexible and office space, said its most recent study on women and hybrid working models has proved that women do indeed wear many hats and are successful at multi-tasking.
The findings showed that women, based in offices, prefer hybrid working and managed to do and achieve more.
“Women tend to wear a lot of hats and they want to be the best version of themselves both at work and at home. That can be incredibly hard, but the hybrid shift is going to make a real difference,” said Fatima Koning, group chief commercial officer at IWG.
Work schedule changes are due to the Covid-19 pandemic that was thrust upon the world almost two years, forcing us into the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Some business leaders suggested that flexible work schedules would be detrimental, especially to women, but the IWG study has proven otherwise.
More than three quarters of women interviewed reported that they are more productive working from home, adding that their career prospects have improved and household and family duties have seen increased distribution.
“The pandemic has proved that people can be just as productive when they’re splitting their time between home and the office. The study also points out that for women, the hybrid model represents a crucial opportunity to address existing inequalities at work and at home, and has unprecedented potential to support women’s wellbeing, family lives and career aspirations,” said Koning.
She said there were also benefits for employers, who now have an opportunity to attract more female talent and add tremendous value to their businesses. The study found that:
- 55% of female office workers feel their career prospects have improved due to the shift to hybrid working
- An increased distribution of household and family duties (56%) and saved commuting costs (66%) cited as key benefits of hybrid working
- Three quarters say that hybrid working has made them more productive
- Half would leave their job if asked to work from the office five days a week
- 75% would welcome having an office space within 15 minutes of their home
Over half of female workers said hybrid working has benefitted their career progression, while the same number (76%) said it had improved their work-life balance. In fact, 49% said they would consider leaving their job if forced to work from the office five days a week, demonstrating the integral role hybrid working is now playing in people’s daily lives.
Additional social benefits cited included two-fifths (38%) of women stating that hybrid working improved their mental health, while 56% agreed that there had been a greater distribution in household and childcare duties between them and their partner.
There was also an emphasis on the financial benefits of hybrid working. Two-thirds of respondents noted that the hybrid model saved time (68%) and money (66%) from daily commutes into the office.
In addition, 17% of women said they had been able to save more money for house deposits, thanks to their ability to work flexibly.
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