2021 is proving to be a transformational time for work and organizations and thereby human resources and its leaders at every level.  Starting March 2020, companies in India have had to redefine their policies to create a hybrid workplace for their employees, who had been otherwise accustomed to physical proximity, face-to-face conversations, and in-office camaraderie.

To understand the impact of the colossal shift on employees’ wellbeing and support them through this time, Amber, the predictive people analytics AI bot from inFeedo, interacted directly and discreetly with approximately 100,000 employees across 451 locations across India to help leadership find hidden gaps in their culture and bolster great employee experiences, even in the remote world.  Amber speaks to over 300,000 employees around the world across brands like Tata Group, GE Healthcare, Lenovo, Airtel, AXA, ITC, and OYO and helps 100+ CHROs across 50+ countries build winning cultures. 

Here are the key insights from the report based on those interactions on the state of employee engagement, workplace productivity and motivation, and mental health in India.

• Businesses halted, but employee engagement didn’t 

While tracking employee engagement across India, an upward trend in employee satisfaction was noted.  Though working from home allowed employees to attend to personal needs on the side, lines between work and non-work began to blur quickly. This led employees to reach out as they struggled to navigate new challenges and leaders listened. Hence the higher engagement noted by Amber through the pandemic, which has continued to grow. 

• Most unexpected industries are leading EX 

Upon ranking industries for overall satisfaction, the report noted that Healthcare and pharmaceuticals, ed-tech, and telecom have some of the highest employee satisfaction scores, while travel and hospitality, oil, gas and chemicals, and marketing and multimedia industries can do better. 

• There is a difference in experiences between genders

As per the data gathered by Amber, despite increased publicity and discourse surrounding the gender gap at the workplace, there remains a tremendous amount of work to be done when it comes to employee experience across genders. These gaps, unfortunately, were magnified by the pandemic as it almost added an average increase of five hours to a woman’s “work day.”  

• Asking the right question at right time sets EX winners apart from EX laggards 

The insights showed that almost 100,000 employees across India believe that their conversations with Amber have helped them in relaying their feedback to the organization; which means they feel heard and valued. The right questions are what help equip HR with data to proactively drive focused interventions to resolve employee concerns and improve organizational culture, thus setting EX winners apart from EX laggards.

In conclusion, while the pandemic has caused many fluctuations at the workplace, giving rise to new problems, it has also increased employees’ trust and loyalty towards the brands that show genuine support and care. It has become abundantly clear that high-skilled workers gravitate toward companies that demonstrate a vision for maximizing the quality of the employee experience over time-- which, in turn, has a significant and positive impact on a company’s bottom-line and top-line performance. This is where CXOs can make a decisive difference in the future of their organizations by building supportive environments that provide an impeccable employee experience.

For more insights from the report on how you can make a difference to EX in your organization, visit inFeedo’s booth at the People Matters Employee Experience India Conference on 10th June, 2021 for a free copy.  Click here to register.