Indian knowledge workers have substantially different propensity for remote-working: survey

Respondents from the country adapted better, preferred remote work more, but also felt the most insecure in their roles.

In a survey of 6,192 full-time knowledge workers from midsized to large workplaces (with at least 250 employees) across six different countries (Australia, France, Germany, India, Japan and the USA) who had worked remotely at any time during the past 12 months, more respondents had adapted to their remote workspaces in India (45%) than those of other countries (15%) over the last year.

The country also had the highest percentage of workers (94%) who felt with well-prepared to work remotely.

The study from 28 July 2021–5 Sep 2021 was commissioned by Atlassian, and it is an extension of a similar global survey conducted in early 2020 with knowledge workers in Australia, India, Germany, Japan and the USA using observational, qualitative, and ethnographic research methodologies.

Some of the research data for India include:

• In India, 1,009 participants from tier 1, 2 and 3 cities were surveyed. Indian workers were seen as leaders in adaptability and they are younger than the global average.
• 82% of Indian workers recognized the increasing importance of remaining adaptable compared with the global average of 59%.
• 71% of Indian respondents had upgraded their remote workspaces over the last year, noting improvements to their internet connection, improving workspace functionality (67%) and improving workspace comfort and ergonomics (63%).
• 57% of Indian respondents preferred full-time remote work, compared to the global average of 37%. The preference for hybrid work had grown slightly from 25% in 2020 to 28% in 2021.
• 79% of Indian respondents were still nervous about a return to office, compared to the global average of 49%.
• 68% of Indian respondents in managerial roles worried that their work had become more transactional and less appealing over the past 12 months.
• 85% of Indian respondents agreed to prompts that their team members had pulled together to accomplish work, compared to the global average of 65%.
• 90% of Indian respondents agreed to prompts that there was a very high level of trust throughout their company, compared to the global average of 70%. This may indicate that Indian respondents were grateful to have secure employment and a safe place to work amidst ongoing uncertainty.
• Male primary caregivers in the survey reported higher care responsibilities than before the pandemic, and 48% were finding that remote-working had made it harder, compared to 31% of female primary caregivers.
• 83% of new Indian recruits in the survey were feeling insecure about their job, the highest in the survey. Workers recruited within the last two years had felt less secure in their roles yet also felt a stronger sense of commitment than their colleagues with longer tenure.

Said the firm’s Site Lead and Head of Engineering (Bengaluru), Dinesh Ajmera: “The fact that a high percentage of new recruits in India compared to other countries surveyed felt more insecure about their job, or whether it’s to do with how managers are finding their work less appealing over the last year, are matters of concern that needs to be addressed by organizations. Also, compared to others, Indian workers seemed to have a substantially different outlook and propensity towards remote and hybrid work.”