Even as the workplace retains its spot in a working set-up becoming reshaped in a post-COVID world, aspirations are growing from the contemporary workplace even though homeworking is nevertheless preferred, according to JLL’s newest Workers Preference Barometer for India.
As per the survey findings, pretty much 75% of the surveyed workers want to work from workplace at least as soon as a week compared to 52% in October 2020. Significantly, nevertheless 79% workers today want to work from home at least as soon as a week compared to 84% in October 2020, indicating that homeworking as portion of versatile work patterns is a essential want.
Close to 91% of the respondents favour versatile working hours. The priorities of the workforce have undergone a shift with an empathetic employer and work-life balance becoming their essential asks, even ahead of a comfy salary. The pandemic has prioritized working in an atmosphere that puts well being and well-being at the forefront.
While the workforce shifted seamlessly to Work From Home (WFH) due to the pandemic for more than a year now, the prolonged and enforced homeworking has brought to the fore the will need to “connect’ with colleagues, while more traditional levers such as ‘purpose in the job’ and ‘visibility’ are not the top priorities they used to be, finds the survey.
The social interactions that an office space provides are being sorely missed, to the extent that 41% of the workforce is craving ‘real’ human interactions with colleagues while 31% of them miss a change of scenery. Amongst the most missed aspects of the weekly routine, coffee and socializing in social activities, personal time for relaxing and spending time with family stand out.
India prefers homeworking, but balance in working patterns has emerged as a key theme. 79% of the workforce wants to work remotely from home at least once in a week, and this number goes up to 89% when a third-party place of work is added. An ideal working week, post Covid, seems to be one where employees spend three days working remotely and two days in office, with office remaining a key element to the aspirational working regime.
According to the survey, 21% of the workforce does not want to work from home in the future, as opposed to 16% in October last year. However, flexibility is becoming more attractive. 91% of the workforce want to choose their schedules and working hours as per the latest results, up from 69% as per the October 2020 survey results.
A caring employer and ‘Work-life balance’ are the top priorities for employees
The survey also brings to the fore renewed aspirations from the workplace of the future. This will act as a barometer for the employers and occupiers to understand changing needs from the workplace and workplace strategies, which will provide a more balanced work-life pattern to employees as they aspire to return to purpose-led offices in the future.
“The offices of the future will have to be more human-centric, putting health and well-being at the forefront. Almost 60% of those surveyed believe that a workplace that promotes a healthy lifestyle and safety is a key priority. There is a greater understanding and need for work-life balance amongst employees now. We are also seeing the need for human connection gaining prominence amongst employees as they crave social connections and emotional engagements in the workplace. Companies will need to be mindful of the requirement for more flexible work patterns even as they are putting greater focus on the well-being of employees and extending support to help employees navigate an array of health challenges,” stated Radha Dhir, CEO and Country Head, India, JLL.
JLL’s analysis shows that more than half of respondents really feel overwhelmed by a large mental load and are worried about their job safety, even though a majority of young parents have expressed that they have several individual and expert responsibilities to cope with which is intensifying the feeling of becoming overwhelmed.
‘Purpose-led offices’ are the new future
According to the survey, 91% of workers who are extremely happy with their workplace atmosphere strongly miss their offices. However, workplace satisfaction price has also dropped as workers now have renewed expectations of their workplace atmosphere. While there is a dip in productivity levels at home, a substantial quantity nevertheless really feel more productive at home. But more workers are hunting forward to “purpose-led offices” of the future.
“We have witnessed renewed demands of the workforce for the workplaces with employees’ rising aspirations and expectations. Employees are more demanding about what the office should offer them in the future. They are looking for a working ecosystem that facilitates flexible work arrangements, physical and financial safety, and a desire for spaces that create a strong sense of community and culture,” stated Dr Samantak Das, Chief Economist and Head of Research & REIS (India), JLL.
“As we are emerging from the effects of the pandemic, it has become essential to create a human-centric framework and cater to employees’ aspirations of a healthy and sustainable workplace while augmenting it with innovative technologies in line with the evolving needs of employees,” he additional added.