A report by furniture company Script by Godrej & Boyce, “New Sense of Place,” reveals that 67 per cent of working Indians respond to work messages on personal time. The report has been generated from a survey of more than 2,000 pros across domains in the 18 - 45 age group in four cities — Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Bangalore.
New norm
Mumbai topped the survey with 85 per cent of respondents admitting to respond to work messages while at home, followed by Kolkata with 65 per cent, Delhi with 60 per cent, and Bengaluru with 59 per cent. As Gen Z joins millennials in the workforce, 69 per cent of Gen Z respond to work-related messages and calls at home compared to only 67 per cent of millennials.
Even at the workplace, our ‘purpose state’ takes priority over our ‘physical state,’ our interaction with our peers, seniors, and juniors is dependent on ‘what we are doing’ rather than ‘where we are,’ states the report. For instance, more than a third of the respondents (35 per cent) follow news about their company while they are on vacation. In addition, more than half would communicate with their boss on social media.
The multitasking menace
According to the survey, Indians undertake several other activities while working due to sheer lack of time, with 47 per cent of Mumbai residents planning their menu while on work meetings, followed by 48 per cent of residents in Kolkata helping their kids with their homework. Furthermore, 85 per cent of residents in Bengaluru admitted to research on their next career move while at work, followed by 72 per cent of residents in Delhi.
Nearly 77 per cent of employees have conducted a video call from a laptop or desktop and only 31 per cent have used a mobile phone. Rajat Mathur, Business Head, Script by Godrej & Boyce, said, “With work from home becoming the norm, our professional and personal lives are merging into one. There are multiple ways in which Indian professionals have been trying to balance their lives with work, and this study gives us an unique insight into the life of a working professional in today’s time.”