Flexible job, a pursuit of happiness for Asian women
Asian women are increasingly looking for job roles that give them a chance to choose their own hours and locations. That pursuit might just prove to be a boon for companies who are willing to enable women to shape their own career path.
Nearly two-thirds women, in a survey by Hopscotch Work, said they were having trouble in their careers. After a break in their career or maternity leave, four in 10 women said they are unable to find suitable jobs while six in 10 women said the major challenge was the lack of a flexible working schedule.
About 98 percent of the women surveyed are in search of a flexible job role that would give them the freedom to work from various locations and during non-traditional hours. Achieving the work-life balance gets more difficult for women considering the demands of the household and raising children, according to Hopscotch.
Flexible working options not only help employees but also assist the companies in getting employees who are more engaged and committed to the company’s well-being.
Providing employees the opportunity to work flexible hours helped increase retention rate by 74 percent and employee commitment by 67 percent, according to an IRS survey. The survey shows that the requests from employees to be able to work flexibly are on the rise, even though they might not have the legal right to do so. Reducing job losses is also another reason for wanting to work flexible hours.
Other than being able to set time aside to study and enhance their skills, women also prefer flexible jobs so that they can take care of children and reduce the time spent in commuting. Companies are increasingly understanding the merit in creating flexible jobs for employees, thus giving their workers, especially the women, the chance to shape their own careers.
Motivating women employees
According to the Hopscotch study, about 29 percent of women said they were worried that they didn’t have the required training to build up their skill set. Moreover, stereotypical expectations were also keeping them from stepping out of their comfort zone and actively pursuing a flexible job.
Now that technology is connecting global workplaces at an increasing pace, it is time for companies to tap into the advantages that tech has to offer. Motivating the women employees to be participative and supporting them through flexible work options would help improve employee engagement and retention.
Moreover, organizing workshops in order to help employees continue their learning process would definitely go a long way in retaining valuable talent.