Philippine workers save P6,300 weekly from hybrid office setup

With consumer prices on the rise, hybrid work is allowing Filipinos to save more cash as this lessens their spending on transportation and food, among others, according to global technology firm Cisco.

A study by Cisco revealed that Filipinos have been able to save P6,300 per week or P327,600 annually due to hybrid arrangement. At the same time, their savings increased by 14.5-percent on average.

But Bee Kheng Tay, president at Cisco in Asean region, said in an event on Wednesday this figure could be higher now given the rising inflation.

“I know that inflation … has increased. We had to extrapolate based on the percentage,” she said. However, the official did not provide specific figures. Based on the Cisco survey, hybrid work had made 92 percent of Filipino respondents “happier” during the pandemic and improved their overall well-being. Majority claimed to have better productivity and quality of work under this work arrangement.Technology is crucial, but employers need to do more, Tay said.

“Office needs a transformation to be able to support hybrid work. There should be more collaboration space instead of cubicles,” she said. —Tyrone Jasper C. Piad INQ