Anew survey by software company Qualtrics reveals that 91 per cent of full-time employees in India prefer a four-day work week. Of which, the majority of them believe it will improve work-life balance and mental wellbeing, enhance productivity, and bring more employee loyalty. The study was carried out in May 2022, and includes 1,277 respondents, 18 years of age or older, employed full- or part-time across a range of industries in India. The questions relating to the four-day work week, however, were only answered by full-time employees, totalling 1,033 respondents.

Employee performance, respondents believe, should be measured by results rather than hours and days worked, with 88 per cent of respondents supportive of this approach. Close to 26 per cent expect to work fewer hours. The majority of respondents also welcome their employer offering paid mental health days, with 95 cent saying they would be a good long-term solution to ensuring good mental health.

For a third of employees (35 per cent), flexibility means having control of the hours they want to work. One-in-five respondents say flexibility means choosing what days to work (22 per cent), while others define it as having the ability to work from any location (20 per cent), or being measured by performance instead of hours (14 per cent).

Focus on outcomes

Employees in India say the most impactful changes employers in the region can introduce to improve mental health are an annual paid mental health week (55 per cent) or day (47 cent), a four-day work week (54 per cent), and access to mental health resources, such as on-site counselling (46 per cent).

“Among the buzz surrounding new working models, employers must not lose sight of the fact that what employees really want and have come to adjust their work schedules to fit the demands of their lives,” said Lauren Huntington, Employee Experience Solution Strategist - India, Qualtrics.

“Increasingly, we’re seeing people make career decisions and find fulfillment in their jobs by working for organisations that truly understand and respond to their needs, and where they feel they belong. That’s why the most important part of any working model isn’t simply the hours or days worked, it is being able to understand and meaningfully deliver what people want and expect to ensure everyone benefits from the transformations underway.”