This report contributes to our knowledge of how organizations can best implement work-life programs in the region by focusing on the experiences of 1,834 high-potential employees working in Asia for U.S.- or European-based multinational organizations. Represented countries include China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Philippines, and Thailand.
Our analyses found that:
- Both women and men in Asia reported high levels of job and career focus and stated that they valued having a good fit between their work and personal lives.
- Work-life related challenges, such as long hours, stress, and the inability to attend to other life priorities, affected both women’s and men’s career decisions but were especially likely to hurt women’s long-term career aspirations and goals more so than men’s.
- There is a “mismatch” between women’s and men’s work-life flexibility needs and the level of flexibility that their companies provide, suggesting that organizations in these regions could be doing more to support employees’ ability to manage work and personal demands.
Research Partners: BMO Financial Group, Chevron Corporation, Credit Suisse, Deloitte LLP, Desjardins Group, Deutsche Bank AG, Ernst & Young, Hewlett-Packard Company, IBM Corporation, KeyBank, McDonald’s Corporation, UPS
Authored by:
Laura Sabattini, PhD