80% of employees in India need a better reason to return to the office besides company expectations, according to the India findings of Microsoft Work Trend Index Pulse Report 2022.
The report revealed that hybrid work has created a growing disconnect between employees and leaders. “They are at odds about what constitutes productivity, how to maintain autonomy while ensuring accountability, the benefits of flexibility and the role of the office,” it stated.
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The report comes at a time when post pandemic, companies want their employees to return to the office but most employees are reluctant to come back due to the flexibilities offered by remote working.
“Thriving employees are what will give organizations a competitive advantage in today’s ever evolving economic environment,” said Bhaskar Basu, country head – Modern Work, Microsoft India. “To bridge this gap, a new approach is needed that recognizes work is no longer just a place, but an experience that needs to keep employees engaged and connected, no matter where they are working from.”
To help leaders navigate the new realities of work, the Work Trend Index Pulse report points to three urgent pivots every leader should make. The report is based on an external study of 20,000 people in 11 countries, including India, drawing on analysis of trillions of Microsoft 365 productivity signals, LinkedIn labor trends, and Glint People Science insights.
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The three urgent pivots are: ending the productivity paranoia, embracing that people come for each other, and providing opportunities for learning and development.
The report said that hyper focus on productivity is impacting health and wellbeing with 47% of employees and 58% of leaders in India reporting that they are already burnt out at work.
The report further revealed that people are most likely to come in for each other than any other reason. 91% of employees in India would be motivated by the promise of socializing with coworkers and 92% by the prospect of rebuilding team bonds. “The data underscores we have a deep human need to connect with the people we associate with, and that spending time together can help us build stronger relationships, which are key to doing our best work,” the report stated.
In terms of the last pivot of learning and development, 60% of employees in India said there are not enough growth opportunities in their company to stay for the long term. The findings revealed that if people can’t learn, they leave. 90% of employees in India (versus a global average of 76%) said that they would stay at their company longer if they could benefit more from learning and development opportunities.
