NEW DELHI: A LinkedIn research shows that India’s working women are quitting or considering quitting their jobs, which do not provide them flexibility, in 2022. The LinkedIn survey on Tuesday revealed that following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, 8 in 10 (83%) of working women have realised they want to work more flexibly. The survey finds that 72% of working women are rejecting job roles that don’t allow them to work flexibly, while 70% have already quit or considered quitting their jobs because they weren’t offered the right flexible policies.
The research, which is based on 2,266 respondents in India, says working women are paying heavy penalties to work flexibly. “9 in 10 (88%) working women had to take a pay cut to work flexibly, 2 in 5 (37%) had their flexible working request denied, and 1 in 4 (27%) struggled to convince their bosses to accept their request,” it says.
This, according to the research, has made women reluctant towards asking for greater flexibility because they fear exclusion. Ruchee Anand, Senior Director, India Talent & Learning Solutions, LinkedIn notes Flexible working is the No. 1 priority today for all professionals, especially for working women.
“This is a warning sign for companies and recruiters to remove the stigma surrounding the need for flexibility and career breaks, and introduce stronger flexibility policies if they don’t want to lose top talent,” says Anand.