Lack of work culture and flexibility makes working women in India miserable.
In a recent report, social media company LinkedIn found that employers’ attitudes towards flexible timings and career breaks discourage women from re-employing for a more flexible workforce.
Flexibility has become a buzzword as employees have moved to the boundaries of their homes during the COVID19 pandemic. Most companies are switching to full telecommuting mode. So you might think that this changed the company’s outlook in terms of work flexibility.
But the report says the opposite. 83% of women want more flexible working hours, 70% have quit or are planning to do so because they do not have the appropriate flexible policies. In addition, 72% of working women reject roles that do not allow them to work flexibly.
43% women believe that flexible working hours improve the balance between work and life and help advance their careers. 34%, says their mental health is likely to improve and 33% are likely to stay in their current job. The report argues that strong employer prejudice puts women on the receiving side of India’s workforce.
88% of working women had to reduce their wages to work more flexibly.Microsoft-owned social media companies also pointed out that 27%, is having a hard time convincing their boss to accept the request. Such negative reactions hesitate women to seek more flexibility and hesitate to eliminate or move forward.
34% of working women are afraid to work flexibly with their clients, colleagues (35%) and friends (33%).
An astonishing 77% of working women also felt withdrawn due to her career breaks. However, these career breaks also help improve women’s skills and employability. 78%, take career breaks, improve well-being and plan career changes. On the other hand, 90%, take vacations to learn new hard and soft skills.
Despite the benefits, 77% of working women on vacation, retreated from their careers. This is due to the stigma attached to breaks, making it difficult for working women (50%) to explain their career breaks to recruiters. This has led many to exclude career breaks from their resumes (42%) or to lie to potential recruiters about breaks.
