Women employees, joining back after maternity leave, can help in improving overall productivity as the company can save training and recruitment costs, says a survey by business services firm Regus.

According to the survey conducted among 26,000 business people globally including India, 65 per cent of respondents think that hiring returning mothers can improve productivity because they offer skills and experience which are difficult to find in the current market.

The survey also said that employers should adopt measures to retain women through their work maternity programs.

It suggested that employees can encourage women in returning to work after a maternity leave, by introducing greater flexibility, near-site creche facilities, increased use of video-conferencing technology and option to work closer to home, among others.

Meanwhile, the survey showed India is behind other Asian economies in terms of female representation on boards - and in the workforce generally. Women account for just five per cent of seats on boards in India - less than the Asian average and well behind China, Singapore and Hong Kong.

“There’s evidence from around the world to show how firms can benefit from female participation in the workforce - including better insights into consumer buying patterns, and more effective innovation, collaboration and ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking...businesses with the highest proportion of women on their executive performed better in terms of return on equity and earnings margins,” the survey said.

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