Poly Research Reveals 74% of Indian Employers Believe Hybrid Working Is The Future

The way we work and collaborate has completely changed since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. Contrary to the earlier popular notion, the pandemic has proved that we don't need to go to an 'office' to be productive. 

While the conversations around the future of work being hybrid have been making rounds over the last few months, several questions still linger in the minds of business decision-makers regarding the long-term feasibility and challenges associated with the implementation of hybrid working. 

Poly recently conducted a study titled 'Recruit, Retain and Grow' to understand the current scenario around work policies, culture, and wellness. 

The study analysed work policies, culture, and wellness of over 2,500 global business decision-makers, of which 102 were Indian companies. Appended are Indian employers' outlook on hybrid working: 

• Recruitment and retention are at risk - 74% of Indian employers believe that if they don't address their hybrid work processes and plans, they'll lose staff and will be unable to attract new talent; 
• The impact on productivity since the shift to hybrid work - 86% of Indian employers have seen an increase in productivity since the shift to hybrid work
• Wellness and hybrid work - 54% of Indian companies are worried about the long-term impact on employee wellness due to the shift to hybrid work. They agree that culture and workforce wellness during hybrid working needs to be relooked.  
• The great resignation spree in India - 43% of Indian organizations have experienced the effects of The Great Resignation, saying that they've had higher staff turnover since the pandemic. 
• Retaining work culture - 81% of Indian organizations say the pandemic and increased home working have made fostering and retaining work culture harder than ever.  

Overall, it was found that 74% of Indian employers agree that hybrid working is the future and is here to stay for the long run. 

From Poly's study, three key solutions emerge that involve technology integration to make hybrid work, work:  

1. Provide equality of work experience to all employees – Whether employees are working from home or the office, they need to have the right tools and technology to work effectively from anywhere (office cubicle or dining room).  
2. Re-evaluate workspaces - Evolution comes down to how offices are perceived and used. This means re-evaluating how these physical spaces are used in a hybrid arrangement in the future and how spaces will be used to ensure they deploy the right audio and video solutions.  
3. Shift focus from office benefits to people benefits -To ensure employee wellbeing is protected, companies should focus on creating employee-friendly policies and budgets that suit the hybrid workforce. For example, companies can introduce policies that support employees' physical and mental health and host events and groups to build stronger interpersonal connections to improve employee wellness.  

'Hybrid' is not just a short-term phase—it is an entirely new way of working together. 
The companies that want to thrive in the hybrid world of work need to develop an employee-first approach focused on user experience and involve the IT department and the HR and business leaders for it to be successful.