MAM
Work from home: The new culture in the making
As a matter of fact, WFH had been instituted in Isobar almost a year ago considering the various needs of the employees and to give them a fair chance to strike a balance between personal and professional life. That was a different purpose then, vis-à-vis a forced requirement during this current pandemic. So, in a way, we were able to segue into this WFH comfortably.
Learning from our offices in the orient, we began working from home a week before the country went into lockdown. Just overnight, the machines of the creative teams were shipped to their homes; remote access to our network was enabled; online meeting platforms were made accessible to all, and so on and so forth. All this to ensure that work continued as usual without any interruption.
Contrary to popular belief in India, I think WFH has worked really well for us. Efficiency and productivity have reached new heights. Teams and clients from different cities are working more cohesively and in an integrated fashion busting the myth that they always need to be in the same room to be more effective. They are now able to utilise the time they save on travel, to attend to personal commitments or office work. They have become more responsible and productive, the proof of the pudding being in the heightened outcome we have seen in the last two months or so. Brainstorms, discussions, research surveys, pitches, and everything that drives success for the agency has seen a new gleam during this WFH phase. It is not just the internal teams, but also our clients and vendors who have contributed to the success.
During this time, we have in fact won a couple of accounts and executed some noteworthy campaigns. The account wins will be out there in the media soon. One of the campaigns that stand out is the one we ran for Kia Motors India. We used existing video rushes in an interesting way to create a film that is just apt for the current situation. It inspires everyone and instils hope for a better future. Have a look here.
In my humble opinion, WHF would continue for us as the lockdown gets lifted in phases and as the authorities would allow only a percentage of the staff to attend office. It would also stay relevant in the long run as we start gauging possibilities of people in certain functions to work from home while others who are more client-facing to work from office or those who are needed on a film set to be at an outdoor location. Or, maybe we look at some sort of rotation of staff. All this is going to be quite a fluid evolution as we move into the future.
(The writer is chief growth officer at Isobar. The views expressed are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them)
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33 per cent of women believe the salary scale is rigged: Naukri report
Voices @ Work study finds rising calls for equal pay audits and lingering bias
MUMBAI: Progress may be visible in India’s workplaces, but many women still feel the need to tread carefully. A new report by Naukri reveals that one in two women hesitate to disclose marriage or maternity plans during job interviews, worried that such information could influence hiring decisions.
The findings come from the second edition of Naukri’s annual Voices @ Work International Women’s Day report, titled “What Women Professionals Want.” Drawing insights from more than 50,000 women across over 50 industries, the survey sheds light on evolving workplace aspirations alongside the biases that continue to hold women back.
One of the report’s most striking insights is the growing demand for equal pay audits. The share of women calling for regular pay parity checks has climbed to 27 per cent this year, up from 19 per cent a year ago. The demand now stands alongside menstrual leave as the most sought after workplace policy.
Interestingly, the call for pay transparency grows louder higher up the income ladder. Nearly half of women earning between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore annually say equal pay audits are a priority, suggesting that pay gaps become more visible as women move up the career ladder.
At the same time, confidence and ambition appear to be rising. About 83 per cent of women say they feel encouraged to pursue leadership roles, a significant jump from 66 per cent last year. Cities in southern India appear particularly supportive, with Hyderabad leading the way as 86 per cent of respondents there reported encouragement to step into leadership positions. The education sector recorded the highest sense of encouragement at 87 per cent.
Yet the report also highlights a growing trust deficit around pay equity. Nearly one in three women, or 33 per cent, say they do not believe men and women are paid equally at their workplace. That figure has risen from 25 per cent last year, pointing to widening perceptions of disparity as careers progress.
Bias in hiring and promotions continues to be the biggest hurdle. About 42 per cent of respondents say workplace bias is the main challenge for women from diverse backgrounds. The concern is consistent across major metros, with Chennai and Delhi NCR reporting similar levels.
Reluctance to discuss personal milestones during hiring processes is also widespread. While 34 per cent overall said they hesitate to share marriage or maternity plans in interviews, the anxiety increases with experience. Among professionals with 10 to 15 years of work experience, the figure rises to 40 per cent.
Info Edge group CMO Sumeet Singh, said the data reflects both progress and unfinished work. “Behind every data point in this report is a woman who is ambitious. The fact that 83 per cent feel encouraged to lead is something to celebrate. However, the fact that one in two still hide their marriage or maternity plans in interviews tells us the work is far from done. As India’s leading career platform, it felt not just important but necessary for us to shine a light on these gaps through the second edition of our report,” he said.
The report suggests that while ambition among women professionals is growing, structural changes around pay transparency, fair hiring and supportive policies will be key if workplaces hope to keep pace.
