The hybrid work arrangement has improved various aspects of the life of Filipino workers, a study revealed.
Based on the findings of tech firm Cisco, 92% of Filipinos are happier with the hybrid work setup.
Meanwhile, 86% of Filipinos with similar work arrangements noticed an improvement in their work-life balance, the study said.
The key drivers for these improvements are reduced commuting time and more flexible work schedules.
Based on the latest TomTom Traffic Index, Filipinos living in Manila lost 98 hours or about four days a year due to traffic.
More savings
The study by Cisco also noted that 90% of Filipinos working in the hybrid arrangement had saved money.
On average, these workers save P6,300 per week or P327,600 a year.
This translates to a 14.5% average increase in savings.
These higher savings is associated with reduced transportation, food, and entertainment expenses.
President of Cisco ASEAN Tay Bee Kheng noted that the savings of Filipinos working under the hybrid work arrangement could be higher given that the data does not account for the recent inflation.
“Definitely, it [savings] would be bigger because when we did the study, it was sometime early in the year. I know inflation for Filipinos has actually increased, so I guess from the inflation rate in terms of commute and also food, we have to extrapolate,” Tay said.
Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the annual inflation quickened to 6.9% in September from 6.3% in August, reflecting higher food prices.
READ: Philippines inflation quickens to 6.9% in September
Better work performance
Meanwhile, many Filipinos also associated better productivity with the hybrid work arrangement.
Based on the study, under the hybrid work arrangement, 75% have improved their productivity, 79% have enhanced their quality of work, and 66% have improved their job knowledge and skills.
Improved social life
Hybrid work arrangements have also led to better social relationships of employees.
Findings showed that 93% of the respondents said their relationships with their families improved.
On the other hand, 64% of respondents said their relationship with their friends likewise improved.
The findings of Cisco are based on the response of 28,000 full-time employees in ASEAN across 27 markets.
Areas of improvement
Despite the remarkable figures shown in the study, Zaza Soriano-Nicart, managing Director of Cisco Philippines, underscored the issues faced by Filipinos with hybrid work arrangement.
Some of these, according to Soriano-Nicart are unequal access to ICT resources, weak cross-organizational structure and adoption, and limited expertise and manpower.
From a technological point of view, Tay said there are more improvements to be done to provide all employees consistent and inclusive working experience.
“The shift to hybrid work is broader than supporting more Filipino remote workers. Hybrid work is powered by the convergence of people, technology and places.” Tay continued.
“Hybrid work requires businesses to empower their people to be engaged and productive anywhere with scalable, future-ready technologies from collaboration to networking, security and cloud,” she said.
“It also needs to be coupled with an inclusive work experience that supports people’s strengths and preferred workstyles as well as a reimagination of what it means to connect people in a safe, secure and supportive workspace that is tailored to meet each of their individual needs,” Tay added.
