54% Indians Want Permanent Work From Home; Willing To Take Salary Cut To Avoid Office

With over 8 months into the Covid-19 induced pandemic, the ‘Work from Home’ model has become a flavor of the season.

In fact so much so, that a certain percentage of the working class population has adapted quite well with it and are perhaps preferring it over the alternative of going to office, even post-pandemic.

Today, we have reports and insights from a very recent and interesting survey report conducted by Mavericks India, titled ‘Covid-19 and Beyond: An Evolving Perspective’.

This survey, conducted among 740 individuals from across the country, consists of insights and stats of how individuals are coping up with work pressure and family balance amidst remote working and a pandemic threat.

54% Respondents Love Work-From-Home

Now that WFH has become the new normal, most workers do not have a choice, whether to work from home or in-office.

However, the survey report shows that 54% Indian professionals love the idea of working from home.

Of this 54%, 34% professionals are even willing to take a salary cut of 10% to work from home indefinitely, i.e. even after the pandemic period subsides.

This is a fairly reasonable expectation, as the cost cut here directly hemispheres with the cost savings corresponding to commute, along with grooming and wardrobe.

Especially in metro cities and major IT sites like Bengaluru, Gurgaon and Delhi, everyday commuting not only includes costs but also time, both of which are saved in the WFM model.

Commute: One of the Major Downsides to Working In-Office

On average, a working professional in India spends upto 2 hours a day commuting, which is the highest in the world.

This is the major reason for a professional to rather work from home than in-office.

According to the report, trading off 10% of one’s earnings to free up 480 hours, or 20 days, every year is a steal.

“Commuting is the most painful aspect of work life and there is a direct correlation between the love for work from home, and the time spent on commute”, says the report.

81% of the respondents with more than 90 minutes of one-way commute to the office would love to permanently work from home.

Productivity and Work from Home

It has been observed that 56% respondents have claimed that their While 56% female professionals have claimed to love the remote working setup, preferring WFH model more, 52% male professionals have shown diligence towards the same.
have increased significantly during the work from home.

Of this, 17% have claimed that their productivity levels have climbed above 25%.

“The cohort witnessing the most significant productivity increase appears to be the senior executives and CXOs, of which 31% claimed a productivity increase of 25% or higher since pre-COVID times”, says the report.

While 56% female professionals have claimed to love the remote working setup, preferring WFH model more, 52% male professionals have shown diligence towards the same.

This gives the female workforce more opportunities to balance their work and home, while dedicating enough time for their hobbies too.