By Health In Five Writer
Workers in India are facing increased burnout due to lack of separation between work and personal life as well as concerns of contracting COVID-19, according to Microsoft’s latest Work Trend Index report. Close to one third of workers in India cited increased rates of burnout over the past six months, with the lack of separation between work duties and personal obligations as negatively impacting their wellbeing.
Surveying over 6,000 information and first-line workers across eight countries globally including Australia, Japan, India and Singapore, the study found that India had the second highest percentage of workers facing increased burnout in Asia at 29 percent. India came out top with over 41 percent of workers citing the lack of separation between work and personal life as negatively impacting their wellbeing, resulting in increased stress levels.
“In the last six months, we have seen how COVID-19 has created an era of remote anywhere. It has led to the evolution of a new workplace – from a physical space to one residing in a virtual world. As businesses adapt to a new way of working, it is important to examine the multifaceted impact that the new working conditions are having on employees. This is helping us provide relevant and timely solutions to all our customers and users,” said Samik Roy, Country Head, Modern Work, Microsoft India.
Inspired by this research and conversations with customers, Microsoft announced the start of a longer journey to evolve its productivity tools to promote individual wellbeing and organizational resilience. A series of updates have been launched within Microsoft Teams to support employee wellbeing. These include a virtual commute experience that helps users prepare for the day and mindfully disconnect in the evening and new insights that supports managers and leaders in understanding how work happens, and its impact on employee wellbeing. Microsoft has also partnered with Headspace to bring a curated set of mindfulness and meditation experiences into the Teams platform and launched new Teams experiences for firstline workers to support them with the tools they need to work more safely.
Key findings from the research include:
- The pandemic increased burnout at work – in some countries more than others.
- Causes of workplace stress differ for firstline and remote workers.
- Six months in there are more communications and fewer boundaries.
- No commute may be hurting, not helping, remote worker productivity.
- Studies show meditation can fight burnout and stress during the workday.
