Most Indians want to return to office for work, finds survey

Over 75 per cent of Indian employees want to return to the office for work, found a recent report by Barco ClickShare, a company that develops wireless presentation and conferencing solutions. 
 

The report marked five trends in work and meeting as India and the world gradually unlocks, with employees on the verge of returning to the office post-Covid. The report is based on findings from an online survey conducted by market research and advisory company Savanta. The survey is based on an international study of over 750 white-collar workers from different industries, seniority levels and company sizes. The sample comprises employees from the UK, US, Australia, India, France and Germany, among others. 
 

The report found that 68 per cent of office employees are expected to be back in the office for one or more days in the week by the end of this month. 
 

Another key finding in the report was a perceived overload of virtual meetings. The Barco Meeting Barometer, meant to assess the quality of virtual meetings, declined from a score of +17 in 2020 to -25 this year, as 72 per cent of the respondents felt that remote collaboration does not come naturally. In 2019, before the pandemic hit India, the score was +63. 
 

“Technically, the old argument about which tasks can or cannot be done remotely has been dispensed with in the last 12-14 months. More than productivity, concerns regarding hybrid working are all about employees, about bonding, connection, job security, innovation, access, culture and control. We need to navigate towards an office where everyone can thrive, businesses and people,” said Rajiv Bhalla, managing director at Barco India. 
 

Meanwhile, 53 per cent of the respondents felt that their employers haven’t made investments for better hybrid collaboration, while 72 per cent felt that all meetings rooms need to be equipped with video-conferencing technology. 
 

Most respondents, around 85 per cent said they preferred to use the laptop to host/attend video meetings. ‘Bring-your-own-device’ is preferred as a practice over traditional in-room systems. 
 

Some of the report’s key findings were: reconnecting with the organisation and colleagues is crucial for employee engagement and retention; 81 per cent of employees felt their employers should start planning for hybrid work now. 
 

Most parts of India are in a gradual process of unlocking, after a month-long period of strict lockdown and curfew restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19.