Nine in 10 business leaders have hired specialists to design stronger workplace policies: LinkedIn survey

Business leaders in India are most confident in Asia Pacific in leading a distributed workforce, according to LinkedIn’s ‘Future of Work’ B2B perception study by research firm GFK, that focuses on the insights of 736 business leaders in India and what they think about the future of work, their flexibility offerings, the challenges they foresee, and their plans to solve them.

“Flexible working has emerged as a top priority in the new world of work, and business leaders see this as an opportunity to hire more diverse talent and improve business performance. Nearly nine in 10 leaders in India have hired specialists to design stronger workplace policies, to re-evaluate everything from L&D opportunities to performance reviews and career progression through a new lens — one that puts people first and not location. To support this shift in the way we work, LinkedIn is launching new platform tools to help job-seekers find opportunities that match their preferences and their need for a more flexible work environment,” said Ashutosh Gupta, India country manager, LinkedIn.

Amid today’s burgeoning demand for flexibility, business leaders are actively creating new workplace policies that give employees more agency over how they work and where they work from today. The study shows that 88% have also hired specialists, consultants, and additional personnel to help design their workplace policies for the future of work.

Preparing for the new hybrid work culture, nine in 10 business leaders in India have already offered or are planning to offer job sharing possibilities, while 78% have already offered or are planning to allow employees to work from a different country. The study also shows that India is leading in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region when it comes to offering flexibility; in comparison, only 68% of APAC leaders offer job shares and 58% allow the staff to work from a different country.

The survey shows that nine in 10 business leaders believe flexible work policies can help them hire not just diverse, but also the best talent. More than half of business leaders in India also believe virtual interviews can help them connect with aspirants with proximity restrictions (55%), find a more diverse mix of candidates (45%), and professionals with modern skills (49%) today.

To keep employees engaged and prepared for the future of work, 9 in 10 (89%) business leaders are investing in training courses that facilitate employee collaboration and productivity in a flexible working environment. In fact, one in two leaders are relying on increased L&D investments to help employees upgrade their skills (52%), move easily into internal roles (52%), and learn together in a community-based environment (52%).

As the need for better flexibility and greater fulfillment becomes top priority for the workforce, LinkedIn has launched new platform tools to help job seekers signal their preferred flexible working model, learn more about workplace policies, and effectively manage their side hustle projects. The professional networking platform has launched new #OpenToWork and Job Search filters, new features on company pages, and an all-new services marketplace.

The perception study surveyed leaders, founders, and directors from a mix of small, medium, and large businesses via a quantitative online survey. The survey had 2,269 respondents across Asia Pacific: Australia, India, Japan, and Singapore. This includes 736 survey respondents from small, medium, and large businesses in India.