Missing chai breaks & more, 78% Indian employees back to office by choice says LinkedIn survey

• 63% of Indians surveyed feel that remote work has no harmful impact on their careers.
  
• Most Indian employees also feel that they have to overcompensate when working from home.
  
• Most survey respondents also say that they miss chai break bonding in the workplace.
  

Most companies might be facing trouble bringing back employees to offices from their work-from-home mode, but a new LinkedIn survey says that there has been a shift in employee attitudes.

In a survey conducted by professional networking site LinkedIn, 78% of Indian professionals said that they go to the office by choice.

Workers were also asked how positive or negative they feel about working in the office compared to a year ago. And, they said that they are generally more receptive to working in the office, with 86% of Indians saying they feel positive about it compared to a year ago.

Does time spent in the office impact one’s career?

Hybrid work has raised some questions on whether lack of time in office and reduced visibility will have an impact on one’s career.

LinkedIn research revealed that 63% of Indians feel that remote work has no harmful impact on their careers. However, a similar proportion also believe that their chances of career growth could be reduced if they didn’t go to office as much.

This could be a potential reason why 71% of Indians agree that they feel they have to overcompensate when working from home to show that they are serious about work.

Nirajita Banerjee, managing editor India, LinkedIn, says, “We’re starting to see a shift in attitude when it comes to working in the office. While professionals in India favour the flexible-work option, they are also finding immense value in heading back to office as it contributes towards boosting employee morale, improving collaboration and teamwork and identifying new opportunities. Informal conversations or chai breaks can also help boost long term career growth, when done with intention.”

Thursday is the new Friday

Workers are also structuring their work week differently now. An overwhelming 79% of Indians say Thursday is the new Friday which may stem from the fact that Friday is the least popular day for workers to go to the office.

Of those Indians who say that Thursday feels like the new Friday, 50% would spend more time with family and friends on Fridays. And, 46% of employees said that they would try to focus on finishing the week's work quickly on Fridays, and hop into an early weekend. At the same time, 39% of Indians picked Monday as their most focused day.

Informal chats, formally

Workers are choosing to head into the office to socialize, bond and be part of a team. When asked why they would show up at the office, the number one reason for Indian respondents was social interactions (43%), followed by having more efficient face-to-face meetings with co-workers (42%) and building work relationships (41%) at a close second and third.

In India, 72% of workers surveyed said they miss chai break bonding in the workplace. This is where they exchange banter with their colleagues about both their work and personal lives and have a laugh.

The research report shares some tips on how one may balance socializing and focussed work at the office. It says that impromptu exchanges can unlock new career opportunities and increase your recall value among leadership.

As many as 15% of Indian employees say they are improving their visibility to management while in the workplace by having informal conversations with team leaders.

Workers are going into Monk Mode – the practice of solely working on one task – to increase their focus when working in the office. Almost one in two workers in India (47%) said they have tried going on Monk Mode and were successful in practicing this.

To avoid distractions, workers are creating their own productivity hacks in the office like switching off notifications on phone and messaging apps (18%) and shutting oneself in a meeting room to focus and get work done (15%).

The report suggests that one should set up a time for informal catch-ups with other colleagues in office for career gazing – crystal balling options to grow your career, sharing ideas and hearing the perspectives of others.

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