Work from home: Only 0.2% IT sector workforce highly productive.
About 12.7 per cent of the IT workforce comprises employees who thrive on their social interactions and as a result, work from home is a challenge for them
Only 0.2 per cent workforce in the IT industry is highly productive while working from home, says a new study conducted amid the coronavirus lockdown, when most of companies are encouraging employees for working remotely.
About 99.8 per cent of the workforce in the information technology sector is incapable of working from home, according to the study by research-backed innovative venture SCIKEY MindMatch.
These 99.8 per cent of the workforce lack at least one of the qualities, including resistance to learning and exploring (95 per cent), lack in practical communication skills (65 per cent) and lack in planning and execution (71 per cent), it added.
“16.97 per cent of the employees are challenge-driven and such people should be given challenging tasks and can work seamlessly with minimum intervention,” the study said.
The research identified 17 per cent of employees as instruction-driven and need clear cut direction to deliver a task.
While engaging with these employees, especially under the remote working scenario, one should pay close attention to the details of the tasks assigned to them, it added.
Source :Work from home: 99.8% workforce in IT sector incapable of remote working: Study - The Economic Times - https://m.economictimes.com/tech/ites/99-8pc-workforce-in-it-sector-incapable-of-remote-working-study/articleshow/75080948.cms?utm_source=whatsapp_pwa&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialsharebuttons
Top comments (6)
I couldn't disagree more.
Sorry but I'm calling BS, I'm sceptic, very sceptic about this ... if I read that ninety eight percent of IT workers are incapable of working remotely then it raises a huge red flag ... I mean this cannot be.
If there's one profession where working remotely (work from home, WFH) should be feasible and very well possible, it would be IT, and development. If people feel unproductive when working from home then you're doing something wrong as an employer or company.
But maybe this report says more about the situation in India than in other countries ... it could be very well a cultural thing. But if the 98% percent is relevant to India's situation only (researched only there) then it would be good to mention that.
And finally this makes me very suspicious about a "hidden agenda" ... it's a known fact that many "bosses" are wary about not having their 'minions' sitting in the office where they can look over their shoulder, and are actively trying to discourage work from home, they're strongly biased against it.
I've seen employers' bias against WFH before, and we should not fall into this trap. WFH has so many advantages that as society and employees we should continue to push for it. Way less time wasted on commute, reducing traffic congestion and pollution, better work/life balance and so on.
I'm not even talking about the current COVID-19 pandemic, when WFH should not be encouraged but simply mandatory. Given our current situation I would even go as far as saying that this narrative is dangerous and irresponsible.
Problems with (perceived) lower productivity are largely cultural (I also mean company culture) and it's been proven that these can be overcome. Where there's a will there's a way.
P.S. apart from the current situation with COVD-19, I'm not saying that employees should be working from home Monday till Friday, fulltime. Face to face contact with colleagues is still valuable. But for knowledge workers 2 to 3 days per week working from home is both feasible and desirable.
I am 100 % Agree with you Leob. The study was conducted by an HR Firm SCIKEY. They are using some AI to create reports. Here is a link of there study: resources.scikey.ai/wp-content/upl...
Unfortunately, this study was picked up by mainstream newspapers and TV channels in India.
Thank you!
Yes you always need to question the validity and objectivity of such reports. Sometimes they're commissioned by a large company and the agency doing the "research" will just write whatever their client likes to hear.
And then it's picked up by mainstream media, goes viral, starts to live a life of its own, and once it's out there it is very hard to retract or correct and the damage is done.
When I hear the 95% number the alarm bells are going off ... scrutinize before you share or publish, don't be a parrot, but that goes for journalists at "reputable" media as well!
You're linking to a random india times media report, not the actual study. Do you have the link to the actual study?
Call me a huge sceptic, I don't believe a word of this.
I think there's a hidden agenda here, I simply know that many employers/bosses are actively trying to discourage WFH (work from home) out of fear of losing control, they feel the urge to have their minions sitting in the office so they can look over their shoulder.
Bosses are afraid that people are slacking off when they WFH, but if you simply judge people by measuring output instead of number of hours sitting behind a desk then this problem goes away.
We should not fall into this trap, WFH simply has too many benefits both for society and for employees. Countless hours are wasted commuting and being stuck in traffic jams or overcrowded public transport, with huge downsides for society, environment etc. It just doesn't make sense.
Apart from that, I find this story especially egregious, obnoxious and irresponsible in the era of COVID-19 and given the need for social distancing. In this era, WFH should be actively encouraged, not discouraged.
True. Here is the Study link resources.scikey.ai/wp-content/upl... . I think their study is India Based and also they are unable to bring the real picture.