New global research from Accenture, titled "The Path Forward," has found that a greater number of women (40%) are satisfied with their current job and are not looking for new job opportunities as compared to men (28%). The research further reveals that 80% of the respondents in India stayed at their jobs longer than they may have otherwise because of a flexible work arrangement. Family responsibility is the most commonly cited reason to work a flexible work schedule.
Accenture conducted its global research study, "The Path Forward" for release on International Women' s Day to gain insight into behaviours and attitudes regarding women's careers. The research explores career satisfaction levels, aspirations and factors for career advancement. It examines the factors that may hold professionals back from progressing in their careers and seeks to better understand the support and programs companies provide that attract, develop and retain high-performing employees.
"Companies across the globe are recognizing employees' need for work-life balance and are devising various policies like flexible work options and telecommuting to assist employees in better balancing their lives. Resonating this emerging trend, Accenture's recent research study, "The Path forward", reveals that 28% of the respondents in India felt they had work-life balance all the time, which was highest among all countries. We at Accenture recognize that people lead busy, full lives with a variety of time demands - and believe that each person finds a unique proportion of balance between their work and personal needs. We have a formal Flexible Working Arrangement (FWA) policy in place which enables our employees to take up Flex Time, Part Time and Telecommuting," said Rekha M. Menon, Executive Director - Geographic Services, Accenture in India and ASEAN.
