How Can Indian Employers Improve Workplace Satisfaction and Productivity?

According to the Gallup Workplace report, there has been a global decline in employee wellbeing, dropping from 35% to 34% in 2023. This is noticeable among workers under 35 years old, despite being the second-largest group of "thriving" workers in South Asia, a staggering 86% of Indians expressed feelings of struggle or suffering, well above the global average, as per the 2024 Gallup State of the Global Workplace report.

Only 14% of Indian employees reported thriving, significantly lower than the global average of 34%.

Globally, the percentage of employees feeling that they were thriving decreased to 34% from 35% in 2023. South Asia had the lowest percentage of growing employees at their workplace at 15%, while 60% of employees in Australia and New Zealand felt they were thriving. The American analytics firm assessed the 'Life Evaluation Index' based on various factors, categorizing employees as thriving, struggling, or suffering with their mental peace.

In terms of workplace issues, the report highlighted that 48% of India's workforce was not engaged or interested, which is lower than the regional average of 56%. While 32% of Indian employees were enjoying their work, higher than the global average of 23%, 20% were actively disengaged. Employee engagement is crucial for boosting productivity and satisfaction at work. Those people are less drained and more active to work better. Actively disengaged employees feel unhappy and disloyal due to unmet workplace needs, actively opposing their employer's goals.

Regarding mental health challenges, Indian employees reported high levels of negative emotions similar to regional averages. In South Asia, 29% of workers felt lonely, 34% were angry, and 42% were unhappy.

Remote work might be going through these challenges, with 25% of remote workers experiencing loneliness compared to 16% of on-site workers. The report highlighted that this percentage was higher for employees under 35 and lower for those over 35.

This report also mentioned that 57% of Indian employees viewed the job market favourably, although this represented a 2% decline from last year. This percentage was higher than the South Asian average of 48%. However, 52% of India's employed workforce was actively seeking new jobs, which, although lower than the South Asian average, remained a concern for companies, employers, and employees themselves. The director of Gallup's global research Rajesh Srinivasan focused on the need for employers to engage and support their workforce effectively to address the high rate of employees looking to switch jobs.

Gallup suggested the importance of employers focusing on building productive teams and providing benefits and flexibility to support employee wellbeing.

Addressing workplace dissatisfaction can reduce stress and negative emotions, ultimately enhancing overall workforce satisfaction and productivity.

Employers should offer suitable benefits and flexibility to support employee well-being while prioritizing the creation of productivity, and high-performing teams and creating a workplace environment healthy and active so that employers can work productively with engagement.