Covid-19 work from home survey: Majority of working professionals prefer flexible working hours

Over 90% of 3,300 working professionals, who were surveyed by a real estate consultancy regarding a change in work modes due to the Covid-19 pandemic, said that they prefer flexible working hours and remote working, but also that they miss social interactions that an office space facilitates

Over 90% of 3,300 working professionals, who were surveyed by a real estate consultancy regarding a change in work modes due to the Covid-19 pandemic, said that they prefer flexible working hours and remote working, but also that they miss social interactions that an office space facilitates, a report of the survey stated.

The report, released on Wednesday, stated that almost 40% of workers wanted offline interactions and 30% missed change of scenery. Also, 21% did not prefer to work from home despite the Covid-19 pandemic. (Shutterstock/Representative image)

The report, released by JLL, is based on questionnaires shared with over 3,300 respondents across three surveys conducted in March 2020, October 2020 and March 2021. All respondents are working professionals employed by companies that have at least 100 employees. Over 90% of those surveyed were employed with private companies, with big corporates comprising 70% of these and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) forming the rest.

The report, released on Wednesday, stated that almost 40% of workers wanted offline interactions and 30% missed change of scenery. Also, 21% did not prefer to work from home (WFH). Also, 75% of the workers said they would like to work from the office at least once a week, an increase from 52% reported in October 2020 survey.

City-based human resource experts and real estate developers who operate commercial office spaces concurred with the findings of the survey and said that a mix of office and remote working would be the trend in the near future. They said that with the Covid-19 situation easing, there would be mixed working options that will favour the offices more. Employees in the private sector have been largely working from home since the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020, resulting in employers giving up office space or reducing it accordingly.

“The offices of the future will have to be more human-centric, putting health and well-being at the forefront. Almost 60% of those surveyed believe that a workplace that promotes a healthy lifestyle and safety is a key priority,” Radha Dhir, the chief executive officer and country head for India, JLL, said.

According to the survey, a majority of workers preferred to work three days from the office and two working from home.

Mamta Yadav, practice leader, IRIS Corp, a human resources expert, said that working from offices would res barring a few sectors, as it is the normal mode for employees to operate. “There is need for people to connect with each other, have a change of scenery and learn on the job. There are only a few sectors where only WFH will suffice. In other places, a flexible work culture will evolve. Only working from home has led to health and psychological issues among a large workforce, particularly in the IT sector. Productivity also gets hit. So, returning to offices in a graded manner is likely to happen,” she said.

Meanwhile, real estate developers in the city said that many companies have resumed operating from their office spaces, especially after the vaccination drives took place. “Our own office is working at full attendance with high degree of safety measures. Many tenants have returned to office and though WFH has saved us during the pandemic, if we want to grow the business, there is a need to stick to offices with may be a day or two dedicated to working remotely ,” Kamaljeet Singh, the vice-president of Bestech, a city-based developer, said.