60% Employees In India Would Prefer Flexibility Over A 4-day Work Week, Survey Reveals

As the idea of a four-day work week continues to gain traction across India and globally as well, a new study by American experience management company Qualtrics has revealed that six out of ten employees in India prefer flexibility at work over a four-day work week.

The study was carried out in May 2022 and includes 1,277 respondents who are 18 years of age or older and are employed full or part-time across a range of industries in India. The questions relating to the four-day work week were only answered by full-time employees, totalling 1033 respondents, as per ET.

The study reportedly highlighted the importance of understanding employee needs to successfully align the programs being adopted with their needs and expectations. 60% of the respondents said that flexibility is the bigger driver of retention than a four-day work week, which had 51% supporters, whereas 38% of respondents supported one fewer day at work.

The study also found out that for 35% of employees, flexibility means having control of the hours they want to work. 22% of respondents say flexibility is about choosing what days to work, while some others define it as having the ability to work from any location (20%), or being measured by performance instead of hours (14%).

While the majority of employees have a preference for flexibility, given the choice, 91% of respondents are open to supporting their employer in implementing a four-day work week, predominantly citing improvements to their health and wellbeing as the reasons for doing so.

The majority of respondents believe a four-day work week could improve work-life balance (86%) and mental wellbeing (84%), make them feel more loyal to their employer (85%), and be more productive (84%), study revealed.

Also, 88% of respondents supported the approach of having employee performance measured by results rather than hours and days worked.

An overwhelming majority of respondents also welcome their employer offering paid mental health days, with 95% saying they would be a good long-term solution to ensuring good mental health.

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Also Read: Scotland Offers 4-Day Work Week To Public Sector Employees In Exchange For Pay Cuts

Concerns Surrounding 4-Day Work Week

Many respondents believe there would be concerns surrounding a 4-day work week. 77% say they expect to work longer hours, while 64% say they think it will encourage people to slack off, alongside 63% concerned about customer frustrations and 63% worried about a detrimental impact on company performance.

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Stats On Mental Wellbeing

79% of respondents revealed that their job is the main source of mental health challenges, and 34% of respondents said working remotely has had a positive impact on their mental health, whereas 25% said its been negative.

As per the survey, 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%) or day (47%), a four-day work week (54%), and access to mental health resources, such as on-site counselling (46%).

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