Majority of the employees in the Philippines said their well-being, financial welfare and productivity have improved with the hybrid work arrangement, according to the latest global Cisco study.
Cisco’s “Employees are ready for hybrid work, are you?” study found that 79 percent of employees in the Philippines believe quality of work has improved. A similar number of 75 percent felt their productivity has enhanced in the hybrid work setup.
On top of that, 84 percent also felt their role can now be performed just as successfully remotely as in the office.
However, the survey of 28,000 employees from 27 countries, including over 1,050 respondents from the Philippines, revealed that only 29 percent of Filipino employees think their company is “very prepared” for a hybrid work future.
“The last two years have shown us that work is no longer where we go, but what we do. In a hybrid normal, employees and employers in Philippines are experiencing tangible benefits from improved employee well-being to better productivity and work performance,” said Zaza Nicart, Cisco Philippines managing director.
“However, hybrid work is more than just supporting a safe office re-entry. Leaders need to rethink how to cultivate an inclusive culture. An environment where the experience, engagement and well-being of employees are at the centre, and where networking and security infrastructure is modernized and integrated to provide a seamless, secure, and inclusive employee experience,” she added.
Cisco’s research examined the impact of hybrid working on five categories of well-being — emotional, financial, mental, physical and social well-being. A reigning majority of 89 percent said hybrid and remote working has improved various aspects of their well-being.
Time away from the office has improved work-life balance for 86 percent of employees in the Philippines. Nearly 74 percent of employees saved at least four hours per week when they worked from home, and 37 percent of respondents saved eight or more hours a week.
Nine in 10 Filipino respondents also said their financial well-being improved, with their average savings reaching to over $6,552 or P344,046 a year.
A sizeable 90 percent ranked savings on fuel and/or commuting among their top three areas for savings, followed by decreased spending on food and entertainment at 76 percent.
Nearly nine in 10 or 89 percent believe they can maintain these savings over the long term and 68 percent would take these savings into account when considering changing jobs.
In addition, the Cisco study said 74 percent of respondents believe their physical fitness has improved with remote working.
A significant majority or 93 percent indicated that remote working has improved family relationships and 64 percent of the respondents reported strengthened relationships with friends.
The future of work is hybrid, according to 60 percent of employees in the Philippines who said they want a combination of a remote and in-office hybrid working model in the future, compared to a fully remote (38 percent) and fully in-office (3 percent) experience.
Seven in 10 or 71 percent of Filipino respondents believe micromanaging behaviors had increased with hybrid and remote working. A lack of trust from managers that their employees can be productive have been a common thorn in their working experience.
“Trust has become a core tenet in our hybrid work normal, alongside flexibility, and empathetic leadership. Our latest research indicates that more needs to be done to fully integrate hybrid work arrangements for employees, especially when it comes to building an inclusive culture powered by efficient technology infrastructure in this new world of working that employees clearly prefer,” said Anupam Trehan, Cisco, APJC senior director, people & communities.
“Leaders and companies need to commit to actions that go a long way to retain their people — listening, building trust, and leading with empathy, flexibility, and fairness,” Trehan added.
