The reimagined Indian workplace will be shaped by needs & demands of employees

Long periods of remote work throughout the pandemic have altered the preferences of Indian employees regarding their preferred working environment — whether that’s in the office, at home or a mixture of both

Old ways of working have continued to fall out of favour among Indian knowledge workers, who have emerged from pandemic restrictions with a newfound appreciation for flexibility around where, when and how they work, according to a new Slack report.

The Reinvention of Work study, based on a survey of over 2,000 Indian knowledge workers in companies with over 100 employees, found that the vast majority said they wanted to work in a flexible workplace. In fact, the study found that not providing flexibility would have a negative impact on the ability of Indian businesses to attract and retain talent in the future.

After two years of remote and hybrid working, 80% of Indian employees said they would seek a more flexible role elsewhere if their existing workplace didn't accommodate their preferences. This was especially true for those with caregiving responsibilities (82%), compared to those without (64%).

Hybrid working the top choice

Long periods of remote work throughout the pandemic have altered the preferences of Indian employees regarding their preferred working environment — whether that's in the office, at home or a mixture of both. The study found that while some employees want some element of office time, others are keen to keep the positive habits of remote work as part of their day to day going forward.

When it comes to working fully remotely, the overall preference was low (24%), with employees identifying specific challenges, such as finding it harder to meet new people (76%) and forming meaningful relationships with their colleagues (71%). They also said they found it difficult to demonstrate their readiness for a promotion (73%), and struggled to set boundaries between their work and home life (73%). On the other hand, 32% of employees said they wanted to work onsite only (with this preference slightly higher for those aged over 54, at 36%).

However, a hybrid work model was the favoured way of working across all age groups. Younger knowledge workers, aged 18-34 and 35-54, had the highest preference for hybrid work (both 47%), while 37% of Indian knowledge workers aged 55-64 shared this sentiment.

In addition to location flexibility, when employees work is fast becoming one of the key factors Indian knowledge workers are weighing up when looking for their next role. The overwhelming majority (86%) said they would prefer to work for an employer that allowed flexible working hours, while 82% indicated they would rather work their own hours around other responsibilities. Flexibility around work hours was most important to those with caregiving responsibilities (87%).

It's clear that there's no one-size-fits-all model when it comes to flexibility, and preferences among Indian knowledge workers are highly individual and influenced by a range of personal factors.

Given the variation in preferences among Indian knowledge workers in terms of where and when they work, businesses have an opportunity to embrace true flexibility, not as a short-term fix, but as a better way of working over the long term — giving all employees a chance to do their best work anywhere, anytime.

Enabling workplace flexibility with collaborative technology

Providing flexibility won't be the biggest challenge for businesses who are trying to accommodate employee preferences for the year ahead — rather, it will be how they enable that flexibility, which is going to take some consideration.

In response to the survey, Indian knowledge workers flagged that working remotely made it difficult for them to communicate and collaborate seamlessly. One factor in this was the number of apps being used to do their work.

Indian knowledge workers were found to be using, on average, 10 apps a day. And toggling between all these apps was resulting in 10 hours of lost time every week — adding up to nearly 10 working weeks a year. It was perhaps unsurprising then that 9 in 10 Indian knowledge workers said a singular collaborative platform that brings all their apps together would provide a better way of working, not only internally, but also when working with others outside of their organisation (88%).

Creating a digital HQ — where all workplace software and apps are integrated into a single platform — would better support a flexible, work-from-anywhere environment, allowing teams to stay in sync on projects, priorities and goals no matter where or when they are working. Building a digital HQ with a platform like Slack alleviates the challenges of having to keep track of conversations across multiple communication channels, as well as having to scour through different apps and folders to find the information and files needed to do work.

Embracing the different ways employees want to work for long-term success

Returning to how things were pre-pandemic would almost certainly turn back the clock on productivity. Nearly 9 in 10 Indian knowledge workers said they would like to continue using the technologies and workflow processes that were adopted during the pandemic, even when they return to the office in some capacity (86%).

Based on these trends, it's highly likely that the power balance will continue to shift from employers to employees in 2022 and beyond, with the ideal workplace model increasingly determined by the demands of the market, and shaped by the competition for talent, not by the preferences of executives.

Now that employees have a new perspective on work — with strong preferences for where and when they work, and for the technology they use — Indian businesses will need to take into account what their people tell them will set them up for success in their roles. It's clear that a unified platform for all workplace apps, a digital HQ, will play a key role in sustaining a workforce that is efficient, productive, collaborative, engaged, and ultimately, empowered to do their best work, at any time, from anywhere.

Discover more insights in Slack's The Reinvention of Work study.

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