Hybrid work model given tick by women around the globe

Results from the International Workplace Group’s (IWG) Empowering Women in the Hybrid Workplace Report indicates that the majority (53 percent) of female workers have responded positively to hybrid working, empowering them to apply for more senior roles in their workplaces.

In accordance with International Women’s Day, the report stipulates that nearly 80 percent of women saying hybrid work allowed them to apply for the roles. 88 percent believe that hybrid working is an equaliser in the workplace, with 66 percent of the belief that the working model has led to less biases in regards to gender, race or otherwise.

Three in five respondents say they’ve considered applying for a new, more flexible job, with 48 percent considering a career change, with 47 percent making good on that change and changing industries. 58 percent of women report that this career growth comes from hybrid working, making them more efficient and productive, with 38 percent seeing previously unseen recognition from senior leadership.

“Embracing equity is the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day and hybrid working, one of the biggest innovations in the world of work in decades, has the potential to substantially deliver on this vision,” says IWG Group Chief Commercial Officer Fatima Koning.

“This latest research from IWG is very encouraging and shows that more women are making major career decisions, switching jobs and industries, based substantially on the ability to access hybrid working, which is facilitating a better work/life balance and opening up new career opportunities for them.

“I have felt the personal and professional benefits of hybrid first-hand, and I am glad to see that other women are experiencing them too.”

Previous work from IWG demonstrates that hybrid working is a key recruitment and retention tool across the United Kingdom. Up to 72 percent of respondents from the Empowering Women in the Hybrid Workplace Report say that hybrid working is non-negotiable.

Nearly half of respondents have indicated hybrid working has given them more time to pursue personal passions, with three quarters recording a better work life balance due to more flexibility and less time spent commuting. 44 percent also recorded improved mental health.

53 percent of the women who completed the survey identify as caregivers, with 65 percent considering flexible work arrangements a valuable caregiving benefit.

Image: The Fender Katsalidis-designed Space&Co co-working space, located in Parramatta.