A newly launched global study by HP Inc., ‘Global IWD Pulse Survey’, has revealed positive findings in India Incs efforts to strengthen gender parity.

The study also highlighted interesting insights around employee workplace perceptions, retention factors, and promotion behaviour, in India and beyond. 

Here are highlights from the study.

Shifting the needle on gender discrimination

As per the HP IWD survey, 65% of respondents overall strongly feel that Indian companies have been more proactive in their approach towards combatting gender discrimination last year - 71% of women respondents echoed the progress.

Interestingly, 92% of women respondents who applied for a promotion in India last year successfully landed one. In contrast, only 68% of men who applied (67%) for a promotion got one.

Beyond borders, the percentage of women respondents who got a promotion in the US and UK were just 40% and 63% respectively. 

The survey found that beyond compensation, other factors driving Indian professionals to seek a promotion included: Gaining more influence in their company by taking on more responsibility (38%) and being part of larger decisions that impact the company (37%).

Ketan Patel, Managing Director – HP India Market said, “We are happy to see -how more women are aspiring to take on leadership positions in India, coupled with the efforts made by corporations to create an inclusive environment that enables everyone to do their best work”.

Evolving preferences in where the workforce operates from

Shedding light on preferred working environments, the study noted that 53% of Indian employees prefer greater work flexibility for employee retention. 

With the shift to hybrid, while in the UK, Gen Z (46%) are likely to believe that an in-person work model is most beneficial, in India, Gen Z (41%) and Millennials (36%) prefer hybrid as the most suitable work model.

Work-life balance was found to be the biggest influencer on retention, followed by opportunities for career growth, globally. However, particular to India, of those who plan to leave, 1 in 3 employees desire a better work-life balance, more autonomy, and higher salary. In fact, 53% of Indian employees prefer greater work flexibility over higher salaries to retain them. Additionally, they seek greater autonomy in deciding on how, when, and where they work.

As employers make note of evolving employee needs and preferences, building an inclusive ecosystem that caters to personal needs remains crucial amid the ongoing great resignation. It will be key for organisations to enable timely listening channels to take stock of what employees truly seek and support their growth through meaningful shifts in the working environment.