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Stream/Area:
-
Subject:
-
Paper ID:
10.55041/IJSREM.GSTCOS050
Volume:
10 |
7 |
Jul 2026
Pages:
1-6
Publication Frequency:
Monthly (12 issues per year)
License:International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management follows the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) License, allowing free use and distribution with proper attribution.
Department of MBA,
CMR Technical Campus, Kandlakoya, Medchal, Hyderabad.
Department of MBA,
CMR Technical Campus, Kandlakoya, Medchal, Hyderabad.
The debate around hybrid work has been largely limited to the information technology sector, leaving a major analytical gap on its applicability in sectors that underpin India’s economy. This paper investigates the potential and operational implications of hybrid work models in three major non-IT sectors (healthcare, manufacturing, retail) through a conceptual, secondary research based sectoral analysis. The study, using global industry reports from McKinsey & Company, Deloitte, International Labour Organization (ILO) and Indian workforce statistics available in the public domain, critically evaluates where hybrid work works, where it does not work and the functional differentiation required to selectively adopt it. The central thesis of this paper is that hybrid work is not a sector-wide solution, but rather a model based on function whose applicability is contingent on the nature of tasks, infrastructure readiness, and regulatory environment. The findings have significant implications for human resource strategy, workforce planning, and post-pandemic organisational design in the Indian context.
KEYWORDS
This paper has undertaken a structured, evidence-based conceptual analysis of hybrid work feasibility in India’s healthcare, manufacturing, and retail sectors. The analysis conclusively establishes that hybrid work, in its holistic form, is neither fully feasible nor entirely irrelevant to non-IT sectors. Its applicability is highly contingent on functional role characteristics, digital infrastructure, regulatory environment, and organisational readiness. Healthcare can selectively hybridise its administrative and telemedicine functions while maintaining inviolable on-site mandates for patient care. Manufacturing can extend hybrid arrangements to its knowledge-intensive peripheral functions while preserving on-site imperatives for production operations. Retail can adopt hybrid models for its corporate, analytical, and e-commerce functions while retaining physical presence requirements for customer-facing roles. The critical managerial and policy implication is clear: the question should not be ‘Can this sector adopt hybrid work?’ but rather ‘Which functions within this sector can adopt hybrid work, and under what enabling conditions?’ This function-based, evidence-driven approach represents the most operationally sound and equitable path forward for non-IT organisations navigating the evolving landscape of work in India.
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Publication Date
7/5/2026
Peer Review Type
Double-Blind Peer Review
Review Rounds: 2
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The authors declare no conflict of interest related to this research work.
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