Most Indian businesses pivoting in response to pandemic: Survey

Bengaluru, March 26 (IANS) Overall 64 per cent of Indian businesses are ready or getting ready to meet the new workplace demands in the wake of new coronavirus pandemic and are leveraging collaboration tech tools to ensure uninterrupted work, a new survey by leading job portal Indeed said on Thursday.

While 43 per cent of small and medium businesses (SMBs) said they are well prepared, 39 per cent of large businesses said they are gearing up for the future.

The report revealed insights into shifting HR policies related to work-from-home/flexible work arrangements and their impact on the gig economy and business continuity planning by organizations in response to the pandemic.

"Even as the world is grappling with the pandemic, resilience is being displayed by many employers who are exploring new ways to ensure their workforce is able to function seamlessly and continue the business," said Sashi Kumar, Managing Director, Indeed India.

"Our data shows that remote working and work from home searches have been steadily increasing also, indicating jobseeker expectation mirrors these measures," he added in a statement.

Businesses are adapting by leveraging collaboration technology to ensure uninterrupted work and developing new policies as the situation evolves to make remote working effective and efficient.

The gig economy is best prepared, with 83 per cent of businesses emphasizing their contingency plan includes frequent communication protocols and technological infrastructure to ensure seamless remote working.

The study commissioned by Indeed surveyed 150 employers of SMBs, large organizations and gig economy businesses across 10 cities in India.

The survey highlighted that 50 per cent of Indian businesses have already reduced embedded resources, such as contract workforce/freelancers.

Recruitment has experienced the greatest impact, with 36 per cent of the surveyed businesses overall confirming that they have temporarily suspended their hiring activities, rising to a sizable number of SMBs and large businesses now focused only on critical hiring.