74% Work From Home employees now prefer remote working: Survey
24 September 2020: A recent ASSOCHAM-Primus Partners survey has discovered that a majority of employees who started working from home (WFH), following Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdowns would now like to continue WFH. This is due to the fact that confidence in public transport has not been restored even as almost all the states have opened it. The survey noted that post lockdown, about 74 per cent would prefer ‘work from home’ to continue.
Another key pointer from the survey conducted across Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad in the different age groups of employees was that a vast majority of those who need to commute to work places would prefer their private vehicles, be it passenger cars or motor bikes. The survey also indicated that companies have also seen the benefit in letting employees to WFH, as it becomes location agnostic, allowing reduction in operational costs, including rentals of the office premises.
“New normal is unfolding across different aspects of doing business – from production process to delivery of products and services. Technology has enabled the WFH a feasible proposition,” said Deepak Sood, ASSOCHAM’s Secretary General.
As for public transport which has largely now been opened, the survey found that 73 per cent of the respondents would prefer to use their own vehicles (either 2-wheeler or 4-wheeler). Only 21 per cent are looking at continuing to use public transport. Rise in sales of passenger cars, with 1,97,523 units being recorded in July 2020, is seen in that context.
However, it was discovered that increased usage of private vehicles would lead to congestion and choke up the cities. It is suggested that public transport agencies need to look at various means to make travel safer for commuters. They must ensure that all frontline employees – drivers, conductors-wear safety gears (masks, gloves, face shields) at all times. Use of touch-free sanitizers and contact-less washbasins with soap dispensers at offices, railway and metro stations and bus depots must be made compulsory.
