Working from home has come as a boon to some and as a bane to some. A survey conducted by SCIKEY Market Network found that a majority of women found it much tougher to work from home during the pandemic as compared to their male counterparts. As many as 85 percent of women said they faced challenges while working from home and 81 percent believed that it was difficult for them to draw a boundary between personal and professional life while working from home during the pandemic.
About 61 percent of women respondents felt that work-life balance during the pandemic was much more challenging for women than men in their house. This does not come as a surprise since a majority of housework still falls under a woman’s responsibility in most Indian households. 65 percent of the respondents expected flexible or reduced working hours as an incentive from their organizations.
The survey that took into account 2500 women professionals from across India, also found that only 24 percent of women were able to find time for themselves amid the chaos. 21 percent of the respondents were positive about continuing to work from home if given a choice in the future. 48 percent of the women surveyed also felt that the choice of going to a workplace should be an option.
In terms of receiving support from their organizations, only 36 percent of women responded positively about their organizations being very cooperative during these times. 27 percent of respondents said they received no cooperation from their companies whatsoever.21 percent of women said they were provided with WFH as support from the organization and only 8 percent said they were getting support for hardware and the internet.
The pandemic induced lockdown and resultant work from home situations also created mental stress for several employees. Of the total women surveyed 12 percent said their organizations provided support to improve and nourish mental wellbeing, while a measly six percent said they were provided guidance on health and well-being.
The last few months have been a rough ride for almost everyone. In the days to come as workplaces reopen, it will be interesting to see how companies react to the new normal and how these changes affect women in the workforce.
