Work Culture for Women in the Industry in 2021

By: WE STAFF | Monday, 25 January 2021

The unexpected occurrence of coronavirus pandemic has changed almost everything. From the traditional way of performing daily-day tasks to the operations handled in the organizations, all are affected equivalently and those were totally inevitable. Same it the scenario for the work culture in organizations for women. The global spread of the coronavirus, the consequent lockdown in many countries, and adherence to norms like self-isolation and social distancing have seen a large number of organizations move to a work-from-home format. With the implementation of work-from-home, many companies adopted it as a new normal. Tech giants like Google and Facebook extended their work-from-home policy to the end of 2020; Twitter said that its employees can work from home forever. Similarly, there are various changes, which women employees went through in recent times. Let’s have a look at how the work culture for women in the industries has changed and will evolve in 2021.

Flexibility is the buzzword now and understandably so. Office spaces are increasingly becoming more receptive to the concept of ‘Work from Home’, freelancing and remote working. We are far ahead of days when operating from office was the only option because the other alternatives were an alien concept.  A wide range of media for communication and better connectivity is making this trend a reality. As a result, companies are also exploring these possibilities to ensure employee satisfaction and hire from a larger talent pool. If your work productivity improves, the location of work does not matter. Remote working gives women a great opportunity to be productive and make use of their skills while offering some much-needed flexibility while being at home. This not only helps them to contribute to the family financially but also helps them to be independent enough on their own foot.

Rigid 9-to-5 working hours are rapidly being replaced by flexible work hours. This is apparent from co-working spaces becoming a preferred option for many - companies and freelancers alike. This will help women employees manage work according to their convenience. Who wouldn’t encourage flexible working hours if that improves work productivity without compromising on lives outside work? This is a kind of change in a work culture that will not just empower women employees but empower organizations as well.

The pandemic has brought to light a lot of ethics concerns with respect to work practices, organizational decisions, and overall employer-employee experience with respect to women employees in India. This has been a learning period for all, and organizations are now realizing its impact on the bottom line. In the coming time, we can expect to see more well-defined work ethics in terms of awareness and being proactive to health and safety, work-life balance, and improved organizational culture.

Some of these trends can be seen as an impact of current circumstances, while the others are only a step- up from earlier practices that were long due, only accelerated by the changing times. No matter what the cause, the effect will only be of an evolved work the landscape for women employees.