Deloitte empowers women professionals through hybrid work
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — Professional services firm Deloitte has embraced a hybrid work model to empower its female workforce.
Deepti Sagar, Deloitte’s Chief People & Experience Officer for India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and Bangladesh, emphasized the company’s commitment to creating an environment where women have equal access to opportunities for growth and career advancement.
“Hybrid empowers both women and men. At Deloitte, it’s our default setting precisely because it offers a best-of-both-worlds scenario: the comfort of working from home and the connections of working from an office,” Sagar told People Matters.
“But yes, it does offer some unique advantages for women professionals.”
Sagar highlighted that the flexibility offered by the hybrid model not only provides women with the capacity to pursue their ambitions and fulfill their responsibilities but also encourages male professionals to effectively share the workload.
This approach aims to address the disproportionate share of childcare and household responsibilities often shouldered by women in India, as reported by Deloitte’s Women at Work study.
“One of its findings was also that women professionals fear that availing flexible work options will result in them being overlooked for important projects and promotions,” Sagar noted.
To ensure equitable access to opportunities and resources for women in a hybrid work environment, Deloitte has implemented strategies such as collaborative performance evaluations and sensitization sessions to mitigate unconscious biases.
“At Deloitte, employees are encouraged to raise Performance Snapshots from not just their reporting managers, but all the stakeholders with whom they have worked. Year-end decisions are also a collaborative exercise, so that professionals get the credit they deserve.”
The company also utilizes various tools and practices to facilitate effective communication and collaboration, including virtual connect sessions, AI-powered learning platforms, and social media-inspired recognition platforms.
Deloitte is committed to addressing concerns related to equity, fairness, and accountability in a hybrid work environment. The company conducts periodic gender pay parity reviews and fosters a culture of trust and accountability, empowering team members to deliver exceptional results.
“Hybrid can prove to be the catalyst you were looking for all this time when it comes to empowering your women professionals to grow and thrive,” Sagar advised other organizations.
“Hybrid works best when you follow a fit-for-purpose approach instead of one-size-fits-all.”
Meanwhile, in the United States, hybrid work boosts women’s labor force participation, reaching 73% by the end of 2023, according to a February report by Moody’s Analytics.
Samu Hällfors, CEO of Framery, said that in the hybrid work era, offices should be redesigned, with collaboration areas and quiet zones for focus.
