Work From Home Impact: Indian Women In IT Companies Are Not Quitting; Attrition Down By Upto 50%!

One benefit of the transition to remote work prompted by the pandemic has been fewer women leaving the IT sector.

Power Of Flexibility

A study has found that the number of women working in IT leaving has reduced by nearly half in 2021 compared to the previous year.

This is due to remote work which was widely adopted and gave women more flexibility.

The study was carried out by US-based professional services firm Seramount and the data was released by Avtar, an organisation that works on diversity and inclusion.

Statistics

Attrition among women declined about 40% at the non-managerial level.

As the level went up, attrition dropped by 20% on average at the managerial and corporate executive level.

This is a significant finding given that the IT sector is one of the largest employers of women in India.

Of the 5 million people it employs, over a quarter are women.

To that end, companies have been focusing on diversity as a key area.

Initial Fears

The pandemic has led to opening of several doors for women since it normalised remote working and flexible work hours.

However, there were initial concerns that more women would leave due to work life balance struggles.

A survey was conducted in August 2020 which found that remote work was negatively impacting working women due to pressures on both work and home fronts which led to higher stress.

Breaking The Camel’s Back

It noted that women experienced a two to threefold increase in their workload.

A March 2021 report said that 40% of working women experienced increased levels of stress due to double obligations in their personal and professional roles.

Some executives and women employees had predicted back then that due to these reasons, women might reach their breaking point and instead of participating in the workforce, they may withdraw from it.

Now another paradox came in. 

New Opportunities, New Beginnings

The shift in work culture due to the pandemic also opened up opportunities for many women to enter the workforce by offering them flexibility to work from anywhere.

A segment of women who had quit post maternity returned to the workforce thanks to this advantage.

This, in turn, resulted in lower attrition rates, and increased participation of women in the workforce.

The Case Of Wipro

Companies have been ushering in change by adopting a diversity, equity and inclusion policy.

Wipro has successfully done so, with gender diversity in leadership roles almost doubled in the last 18 months and women constituting 36% of its workforce.

Chief culture officer and senior vice-president, HR Sunita Cherian said that Wipro plans to make around 30,000 offers at entry level this year, 50% of which will be to women.

This momentum may soon come to an end with more and more companies calling their employees back to offices.

Hidden Benefits?

But women may still benefit if the company accepts remote work culture and adopts a hybrid workplace model.

Return to offices may also have advantages for women who will now be able to separate their work life from their personal responsibilities.

The industry at large could adopt a few measures to ensure that more women join and stay in their companies.

How To Woo Women

Firstly, a focus on mental health in their return-to-office initiatives could reap rewards.

Secondly, cultivating an inclusive and flexible workplace culture will also have a positive impact. 

The time is ripe to make a change and help women be the best versions of themselves while also contributing with productivity.