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 a Microsoft study.
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, said the Microsoft’s latest ‘Work Trend Index’ report.
“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, “said Samik Roy, Country Head, Modern Work, Microsoft India.
“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,”
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.
Key findings from the study show that no commute may be hurting, not helping, remote worker productivity. Studies show meditation can fight burnout and stress during the workday. Of those surveyed in India, 92 percent also said meditation could help decrease their work-related stress.
A series of updates have been launched by Microsoft within Microsoft Teams to support 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.
The research found that 29 percent of workers in India are experiencing increased burnout at work, owing to its increase in workday span by 1 hour.
While workers in Australia saw the highest increase in workday span in Microsoft Teams at 45 percent, with a medium increase in burnout, the graph below shows that India had the longest workday span of surveyed markets, said the research.
Causes of workplace stress differ for firstline and remote workers
The report revealed that the top stressors shared by workers in India was the worry about contracting COVID-19 at work and feeling isolated or disconnected from co-workers, at 42 and 35 percent respectively.
The study also found that 19 percent of workers have not been provided the tech or protective equipment they need to effectively socially distance by their company, contributing to increased stress levels.