MAM
Over 50% of corporate India prefers working from home: study
MUMBAI: For many, remote-working is the new norm today as on-ground operations came to a grinding halt due to the Covid2019 pandemic. Buzzinga Digital, a research-first, integrated communications agency, conducted an online research survey in an attempt to understand the behavioral and professional changes the Work From Home (WFH) culture is revealing for India’s workforce.
The pan-India study surveyed close to 500 industry professionals, across the spectrum – IT, SME, automobile, agriculture, telecom, etc. A bulk of the respondents (80 per cent) belong to the 25-44 age bracket with a majority residing in metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kolkata. This insight into the ‘Millennial-Mindset’, during India's largest work from home experiment, reveal –
· 50 per cent are optimistic about working from home and 30 per cent don’t feel any change
· 55 per cent find social-isolation a big hurdle
· 63 per cent said their e-relationship with co-workers is either excellent or very good
· 75 per cent say the biggest motivation to continue to WFH is not commuting
· More than 60 per cent feel they work more hours when working from home
It’s evident that better logistical support from companies, processes, and favorable WFH policies has the power to turn the scales in favor of WFH. This could, however, severely impact the commercial real estate market but save crores in office rental costs for enterprises.
As corporate India stays at home, it has become evident that they were starved of family time with as many as 54 per cent choosing extra family time as another motivator to continue working from home. Having said that, 75 per cent respondents also said they missed face-to-face interactions with colleagues.
The study also tried to get an insight into the post lockdown/post-COVID-19 scenario and when working professionals return to their offices. About 60 per cent said they wouldn’t want to come into the office more than two to three times a week, while 10 per cent categorically stated that they don’t like the idea of going back to an office at all.
When asked if a curfew, as a permanent fixture in the calendar, would be acceptable, almost 70 per cent replied positively with 50 per cent showing a willingness to follow it once a week. A large group of those surveyed cite environmental reasons as a primary reason to accept a curfew – 77.02 per cent believe it’s good for the ecosystem and 61.49 per cent opine that it will reduce our collective carbon footprint.
“The coming months may also see a rise in the number of digital businesses that exclusively operate online. Employers may consider digital literacy and proficiency in tech-based operations important prerequisites for hiring,” said Buzzinga Digital CEO Yashraj Vakil.
Overall, the survey indicates that WFH can potentially be the next big shift in India’s work culture. Companies that have conducted their business in traditional office spaces have been the hardest hit due to lockdown restrictions. However, to avoid a similar fate in the future, these firms are likely to embrace digitisation.
For employees, this may herald a massive change in how they work. As of now, the success of the WFH experiment is a matter of speculation, but time will tell. However, it is our best bet until the Covid2019 pandemic ends and before the lockdown is lifted.
All findings are available to see for free on Buzzinga Digital’s website: https://bit.ly/3dyCqEK
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
