A survey conducted by recruitment firm TeamLease Services has found that 77% of corporate India is willing to give employees their preferred hybrid work model in a post-pandemic era. This indicates that there will not be a forced return to the office. The survey collected data from 300 organizations, startups, and SMBs from various industries.
According to the survey, 58.04% of organizations believe that offices will become completely in-office by 2022, while 43.46% of HR leaders admitted that their employees want to return to work.
In terms of workspaces, 36.61% of respondents said they had office space on lease pre-pandemic but moved to co-working spaces afterwards. Similarly, 36.92% said they had office space on lease pre-pandemic but transitioned to fully-remote work settings without an operational office. Meanwhile, 21.42% of organizations experienced no change in their workspace status quo, and 5.05% plan to stay as virtual-only organizations.
The survey also delves into the challenges associated with experimenting with different work models in a remote work preference environment. Around 40.77% of respondents find employee performance management and productivity measurement challenging in virtual work settings. Additionally, 18.45% struggle with implementing strategies to motivate and retain employees, while 18.15% face difficulties in planning their office workspaces.
Ajoy Thomas, VP & Business Head for Retail, E-Commerce, Logistics & Transportation (RELT) Vertical at TeamLease, commented on the findings, emphasizing the need to balance employee preferences with business sustainability and growth. He suggested redefining productivity, measuring it, and engaging and retaining employees in the long term.
To address their challenges, companies are considering strategic approaches. This includes planning for a hybrid work environment and infrastructure and aligning learning and development initiatives with in-demand skills and increased business risks. They are also exploring new skill proximity and learning agility metrics to anticipate future skill needs and designing flexible and personalized talent development programs that recognize individual learning patterns.