78 percent of workers return to the office to socialise and become a member of the team: Report
Even as the hybrid work culture persists in the face of the fading Covid epidemic, research released on Thursday indicated that 78% (almost 8 in 10) of Indian professionals go to work to socialise and bond with their colleagues.
According to a LinkedIn report, while employees used to feel obligated to be physically present in the workplace, 78% of professionals polled indicated they now do so on their own volition.
According to the research, workers are usually more amenable to going to work, with 86% of respondents indicating they feel happy about it compared to a year ago.
The LinkedIn report is based on a Censuswide survey of over 1,001 Indian workers over the age of 18. The poll was taken between February 28 and March 6, 2023.
According to the survey, ‘desk-bombing’ is a new office trend, and most employees enjoy it when a coworker comes up unannounced to their desk to chat.
Desk-bombing is a term used in LinkedIn discussions to describe the act of unexpectedly dropping by a colleague’s desk.
Around 62% of respondents in India saw desk-bombing as a fantastic method to have impromptu interactions. Most GenZ employees in India (60%) have experienced desk-bombing and find it useful, according to the report. GenZ refers to people born between the mid-to-late 1990s and the early 2010s.
As organisations reopened following the pandemic, worries about hybrid were raised, as well as whether a lack of time in the office and lower visibility would have an influence on one’s career, according to the research.
According to a LinkedIn survey, 63% of workers believe working remotely has no negative influence on their careers.
Conversely, a comparable amount believes that if they did not work as much, their chances of advancement would be hampered. According to the survey, this could be one of the reasons why 71% of respondents believe they have to overcompensate when working from home to demonstrate their commitment to their jobs.
According to the survey, workers are more cognizant of balancing their time between work and personal priorities, and managers are pioneering new approaches.
Research also indicated that the majority of workers (60%) have witnessed ‘loud departure,’ which occurs when managers openly leave the office, signalling that it is acceptable to shut down and finish working at a suitable time. According to the report, employees are also reorganising their workweeks, and their last day at the office has changed.
An overwhelming 79% believe Thursday is the new Friday, which may be due to the fact that Friday is the least popular day for workers to report to work.
According to the survey, 50 percent of Indians who believe Thursday feels like the new Friday would spend more time with family and friends on Fridays, while 46 percent would try to finish the week’s work swiftly on Fridays and enjoy an early weekend.
Employees choose to come to work to socialise, bond, and be a part of a team. When asked why they would come to work, 43 percent said it was for social connections, with 42 percent saying it was for more efficient face-to-face meetings with coworkers and 41 percent saying it was for creating work ties.
According to the survey, more than 72% of workers miss ‘chai’ break (tea break) bonding at the workplace, where they could exchange banter with their colleagues about their job and personal lives and laugh.
“We’re starting to notice a shift in attitude about office employment.” While professionals in India prefer flexible work, they also recognise the importance of returning to the office to promote employee morale, improve collaboration and teamwork, and explore new opportunities. When done with intention, informal talks or tea breaks can also aid enhance long-term career progress,” says LinkedIn’s Managing Editor – India. Nirajita Banerjee elaborated.
