Working in a professional space top reason for Indians to prefer work from office: Steelcase survey

A global report released by Steelcase titled, ‘Changing Expectations and the Future of Work’  finds that respondents in India agreed that work-from-home (WFH) had several advantages but also highlighted some challenges. On average, 41% of workers globally said they were dissatisfied with their work-from-home situation, pointing to its impact on engagement and productivity.

Praveen Rawal, Steelcase Asia-Pacific managing director, India, SAARC, design application-APAC, said: “The pandemic impacted business operations on an unexpected scale, which led companies to look at new work rules and processes. While WFH dominated for most of 2020, employees and employers are eager to return to the office even amid the ongoing public health concerns because the office plays a vital role in employees’ social lives in addition to home-working situations being less than ideal."

In India, overall engagement and productivity dropped by 16% and 7% respectively.

For India here are the top 5 reasons why employees want to return to office for work. The findings also touch upon the openness to hybrid models of work.

85% of Indian leaders said they were anticipating more hybrid work for their teams. In comparison, only 12% said they would resume the in-office-heavy work model. A staggering 90% said they expect to give employees greater choice and control over where they want to work from.

The Steelcase research covers findings collected throughout the pandemic in 10 countries, including India, with more than 32,000 participants such as employees, business leaders and real estate decision makers who represent millions of workers.