India’s Transforming Workforce Sentiment

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According to Amit Ramani, CEO & Founder, Awfis, the second wave of COVID has postponed a permanent return to work. It has reinforced a definite shift in the way we work, which is here to stay. The emerging trends further reiterate the importance of a hybrid work model which suits the needs and preferences of employees as well as organisations. Thus, oorganisations will have to respond to the demands, opportunities and challenges of the new normal. What the workforce has to say? In June 2021, Awfis conducted a short survey across 7 metros in India to understand the ways in which the Indian work ecosystem has been altered, due to the ongoing pandemic. In this study, around 1000 professionals for a period of 2 months (May to June 2021) across different job roles and industries shed light on how their work experience has been transformed in the past few months. As the pandemic stretches into 2021, corporates across India continue to navigate the new normal by adopting new business models, embracing digitization, and using a mix of remote work and work from home for uninterrupted functioning. The second wave has brought several challenges with it and the hybrid work model is expected to dominate the world of work, for now. With the slow but sure reopening of offices, organisations will have to respond to the emerging demands, opportunities and challenges posed by the new normal with agility, to successfully sustain during these times. What have been the top findings? A combined 74% of the participants admitted to being unsatisfied as far career advancements were concerned with many experiencing diminished professional growth due to continued remote work. A substantial 70% felt that team management, collaboration, networking is far more effective in an office environment. This clearly indicates that physical offices are fundamental in bringing about professional growth, collaboration and business success. A combined 72% of the respondents favor a hybrid work model. The survey results point to work flexibility being one of the top factors for job satisfaction with 57% of the respondents willing to switch jobs or trade in a higher salary. The hub and spoke model is gaining momentum with 58% of the participants expressing an interest to work from the nearest branch office/ or coworking space provided by their employer. A massive 82% of the professionals are comfortable returning to the office premises in 2021 post vaccination – provided they are given flexible work options to choose from. What seems to be the way forward? While remote working has its own share of advantages, longing for a sense of community as well as feelings of isolation and loneliness were some of the key factors behind the employees’ desire to work from physical workspaces, although on a flexible basis. Majority of the professionals prefer a hybrid work setup that gives them the freedom to alternate between work from home and work near home/office as and when required. This is because most of the employees want to utilise the flexibility that comes with a hybrid workspace where they are in charge and do not expect to return to office premises, full time now. Cmpanies risk losing their potential talent to more flexible organisations, highlighting the need to adapt and develop an appropriate work culture/model that promotes shared identity and values among employees. In order to retain their workforce, leaders need to reinvent their work strategies and support their employees by providing them with the best collaboration tools and flexible work arrangement options. Image: For representational purpose