Has hybrid work helped women professionals? To some extent it has says a Deloitte Women at Work 2024 report. The hybrid approach to work has improved the work experiences of women professionals, albeit slightly. For instance, compared to 37 per cent in 2023, only 30 per cent women professionals feel they are excluded from formal meetings or decision-making as well as information interactions. In 2022, about 49 per cent women felt left out. While things appear to have improved somewhat, the fact remains that three in ten women still do feel excluded from important formal interactions and even informal ones.
Women continue to feel their working pattern is unpredictable. Flexibility is absent too with over a quarter of them still being expected to be present at work despite being told that they have the option for flexibility. Over a quarter also admit that they lack exposure to the senior leaders of the organisation.
In 2022, only 12 per cent of women professionals were expected by their leaders to physically show up at the office. The situation worsened in 2023 with 33 per cent women saying that their leaders expected them to go into the workplace even though they were promised that flexibility was their choice. In 2024, the situation hasn’t improved much, with 30 per cent being expected to be physically present in office.
In 2022, 38 per cent women admitted that they weren’t exposed to the senior leaders of the organisation. This improved slightly in 2023, with only 30 per cent feeling the lack of such exposure. In 2024, only 27 per cent admit to lack of exposure to leaders.
When it comes to predictability in working pattern, things have not improved much. In 2022, 14 per cent felt their work pattern was unpredictable. This improved to 31 per cent in 2023. In 2023, however, 29 per cent women feel there has been lack of predictability in their working pattern in the hybrid work environment.
Women professionals have tried to address these concerns by either reducing the number of hours they put into work, or by returning to office.
Over 40 per cent of the women in the survey admitted that their employer had recently implemented a return-to-office policy. One fourth of these say they are expected to be physically present in office full time, while the rest say they have to be present in the office only on certain days.
Indeed, a lot of importance is being given to work-life balance and employee well-being by employers worldwide, amidst the return-to-office wave. However, on their part, women professionals across the world have tried to alter the way they work or made changes to their personal lives post introduction of the return-to-work policies.
More than a third (35 per cent) of those now required to work from office full time say they have sought a reduction in work hours, while 17 per cent of those mandated to work onsite on certain days have sought the same. About three in 10 say they had to relocate. Only nine per cent of those mandated to be onsite on certain days have had to relocate, compared to 30 per cent of those required to work from office full time.
Has the return-to-office policies affected them? One fourth of the women professionals surveyed by Deloitte said their mental health had been adversely affected, and a fifth sensed a drop in their productivity. About 11 per cent of those mandated to be onsite on certain days feel they have started to think less of their employer, while 31 per cent of those mandated to be on-site full time share the same sentiment. About 18 per cent of those mandated to be onsite on certain days say it has had a negative impact on their mental well-being and increased their stress levels, while 26 per cent of those mandated to be onsite full time feel this negative impact.
A significant 13 per cent of the women professionals mandated to be on-site on certain days said their productivity had dropped, while 20 per cent of those mandated to be on-site full time shared the same sentiment.
Four per cent of women professionals who are now required be on-site on some days have felt their caregiving responsibilities have been compromised, while 13 per cent who are now working from office full time feel the same way.
On the whole, about 50 per cent of women do not think that their employer’s commitment to supporting women has increased over the past year. Less than 50 per cent feel their employers help them balance their professional commitments with those in their personal life.