9 in 10 Indian leaders question employees’ productivity in hybrid work

This hyper-focus on productivity is impacting health and wellbeing as 47 per cent of employees and 58 per cent of leaders in India report that they're already burnt out at work.

New Delhi: While 93 per cent of employees in India say they are productive at work, a whopping 91 per cent of leaders feel the shift to hybrid work has made it challenging to have confidence in employees being productive, a Microsoft study showed on Thursday.

This hyper-focus on productivity is impacting health and wellbeing as 47 per cent of employees and 58 per cent of leaders in India report that they’re already burnt out at work.

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Nearly 93 per cent of leaders in India say getting employees back to the office in-person is a concern.

The data makes it clear that hybrid work has created a growing disconnect between employees and leaders.

They’re at odds about what constitutes productivity, how to maintain autonomy while ensuring accountability, the benefits of flexibility and the role of the office, according to India findings of Microsoft’s ‘2022 Work Trend Index Pulse Report‘.

However, more than 9 in 10 (91 per cent) of Indian employees are willing to work from the office if they can socialise with co-workers.

To bridge the gap, “a new approach is needed that recognises 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”, said Bhaskar Basu, Country Head-Modern Work, Microsoft India.

The data showed that only 44 per cent of companies rarely, if ever, collect employee feedback.

Only 56 per cent of employees in India can confidently say that their company solicits employee feedback at least once a year.

“This means that just under half of the companies in India hear about their employees’ experiences at work (44 per cent versus a global average of 57 per cent),” the findings showed.

Nearly 60 per cent of employees in India say there are not enough growth opportunities in their company to stay long term, according to the report.