Indians most likely to put health ahead of work: Microsoft study

Indians are most likely to prioritise health and wellbeing over work than before the pandemic with nearly 7 in 10 saying so as employees now have a new 'worth it' equation where what people want from work and what they're willing to give in return has changed, according to findings from Microsoft's annual report, '2022 Work Trend Index', released on Wednesday.  

India's 67 per cent puts it much ahead of the global average of 53 per cent and second only to Brazil where the number was 71 per cent. Further, India consistently outranks the global averages and country-wise figures across several metrics looked at in the study to gauge employee sentiments, indicating a transitioning workforce.
   
The report themed, 'Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work', outlines that employees have a new 'worth it' equation, that leaders need to make the office worth the commute, and that flexible work doesn't have to mean "always on" among the key findings.  

Globally, 18 per cent of workers say they actually left their jobs in the past year. India ranks the highest at 41 per cent, much higher than the Asia-Pacific average of 19 per cent. Larger peer China ranked the lowest at 7 per cent. Globally, 43 per cent of workers are somewhat or extremely likely to consider changing employers this year compared to 41 per cent in 2021. In India, the number is 65 per cent compared to 62 per cent in 2021. Besides, 56 per cent of the pandemic hires are considering changing employers in the next year. The India figure is the highest at 71 per cent.  

The figures have risen among the younger working populations too. Around 52 per cent of Gen Z and millennials are somewhat or extremely likely to consider changing employers this year compared to 49 per cent in 2021. In India, the latest number is 70 per cent  compared to 63 per cent in 2021.

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As the world shifts more fully into hybrid work, the biggest opportunity for business leaders is to reimagine the role of the office and create clarity around why, when, and how often teams should gather in person, the report noted. More than a third (38 per cent) of hybrid employees say their biggest challenge is knowing when and why to come into the office. Yet few companies (just 28 per cent) have created team agreements for hybrid work to define why and when to go to the office. India fares the best among countries surveyed under this metric with 42 per cent.  

Globally, more than half (54 per cent) the people managers say leadership at their company is out of touch with employees. The number is highest in India and China at 65 per cent. Other findings also indicate a disconnect between what employees want and what organisations are planning. For instance, half of the leaders (50 per cent) in information worker roles say their company is currently or planning to focus on requiring full-time in-person work in the year ahead, while more than half (52 per cent) of respondents say they are somewhat or extremely likely to consider going remote or hybrid in the year ahead.   

Among the countries surveyed, India ranks the highest on both counts with 67 per cent of the leaders in information worker roles saying their company is currently or planning to focus on requiring full-time in-person work in the year ahead and an equal number of workers considering switching to remote or hybrid work in the year ahead. Further, 51 per cent of workers who are currently working hybrid seek being fully remote in the next year globally. Again, India ranks the highest at 63 per cent.
  
"There's no erasing the lived experience and lasting impact of the past two years. Empowering managers to adapt to new employee expectations helps set businesses up for long-term success," said Microsoft CVP (Modern Work) Jared Spataro in the report.  

Meanwhile, 54 per cent of business leaders fear productivity has been negatively impacted since a shift to remote or hybrid work. This number is the highest in China at 84 per cent, while India number is 62 per cent. On the other hand, 81 per cent of workers say they are as productive or even more productive compared to a year ago. Across regions, this number is at 80 per cent and more. In India, it is 85 per cent.  

Indians are also among the loneliest at work. Globally, 55 per cent of hybrid workers feel lonelier at work than before on shifting to hybrid, while 50 per cent of remote workers feel this way since shifting to remote work. The India numbers are 60 per cent and 54 per cent, respectively. Spain (60 per cent ,52 per cent) and Netherlands (60 per cent, 43 per cent) also performed similarly.   

The study was based on responses from 31,102 full-time employed or self-employed workers across 31 markets between January 7, 2022 and February 16, 2022, along with an analysis of productivity signals in Microsoft 365 and labour trends on LinkedIn. At least 1,000 full-time workers were surveyed in each market, the methodology said.  

For more on this topic, catch the latest issue of 'BT-Taggd Best Companies to Work For in India' which hits the stands this week. 

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