One Third Of Indian Workforce Suffering From Burnout Due To COVID-19

Lack of separation between work and personal life resulting from the work from home culture brought on by COVID-19 lockdown is leading to an increased burnout among the workers in India. A new survey suggests that close to one third of workers in India have experienced an increased rate of burnout over the past six months.

Getty

The survey has been conducted by Microsoft and its findings have been released under the latest Work Trend Index report. The report maps over 6,000 information and first-line workers across eight countries globally including Australia, Japan, India and Singapore.

As per the study, India had the second highest percentage of workers facing increased burnout in Asia at 29 percent. This percentage was drawn out from the 41 percent plus workers citing the lack of separation between work and personal life as negatively impacting their wellbeing, resulting in increased stress levels.

(Representative Image: Microsoft)

ALSO READ: 40% Of Indian Professionals Are In Silent Distress, Says Workplace Study

¡°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.

All-round observations

There have been several other observations through the survey. In a release, Microsoft points out that everyone is experiencing burnout differently, at times being dependent upon the increase in work hours.

Similarly, the top reasons for stress shared by workers in India was different for frontline and remote workers. While the former would worry more about contracting COVID-19 at work, the latter felt isolated or disconnected from co-workers.

The study points out that even after six months of the pandemic, the lines between work and personal life remain blurred for many as work hours extend to well past 5 or 6 in the evening. Microsoft gained this insight by monitoring data from Teams, its own business communication platform.

Representational Image

There are two more important points that Microsoft highlights in the study. It points out that the lack of commute from home to work and vice-versa is blurring the lines between office and personal life for the majority of the workers. It also advises that meditation and mental exercises can help overcome such stress among workers.

Possible solutions

Through the research, Microsoft claims to have been inspired for its next set of productivity tools. The tech giant has launched a series of updates within Microsoft Teams to support employee wellbeing. These include a virtual commute experience, new insights for managers and leaders, as well as a curated set of mindfulness and meditation experiences in partnership with Headspace.

In addition, Microsoft has launched new Teams experiences for frontline workers to support them with the tools they need to work more safely.