Adobe Research: Office Workers in India Rate Technology Above All Other Office Perks

Adobe released new research revealing that 50 percent of office workers in India rate access to cutting-edge technology at the workplace above perks like food and slick office design. “The Future of Work: APAC Study” engaged almost 5,000 office workers from 10 countries across the region (including close to 700 respondents from India), and examined how the roles of people, experiences and machines are evolving and transforming workplaces.

Workplace Technology Key to Market Success

Along with highlighting the critical role of technology in building positive employee experiences, the survey indicates that organization investing in workplace technology are more likely to be successful in the market. The survey also found that 89 percent of employees who rate their companies as above-average business performers also believe their companies are technology-focused (compared to 64 percent for those who say their company is a below-average performer.) To add further, employees of successful businesses are over two times more likely to rate their organization as ’extremely focused’ on technology, when compared to those who rate their companies as below-average performing businesses.

“In the current Experience Business era, smart organizations are realizing that outstanding customer experiences hinge on their ability to attract the best people. As a result, businesses today are strategically investing in workplace technologies to drive productivity and deliver a compelling experience for employees”, said Abdul Jaleel, Vice President, Employee Experience – India.

Enabling Work-Life Balance in Mega-Cities

The survey found that technology is critical to enabling work-life balance for office workers across APAC and India. More than 87 percent of office workers surveyed from India were based in major metropolitan cities, with population of more than 2 million. 59 percent of office workers in India based in these major cities cite availability of job opportunities as a key factor behind for living there, followed by better of infrastructure facilities (48 percent), lifestyle standards (45 percent) and the presence of family or friends (43 percent). At nearly 22 percent, the high cost of living in India's major cities was voted the least important factor in their decision to choose their work location.

These respondents cited crowded public transport and long travel times for short distances as their biggest pain points from working in a big city. They picked 24x7 availability and the ability to work across all their devices, as the most important ways by which technology can accelerate their productivity.

“Rapid economic evolution and unprecedented growth opportunities have positioned India at centerstage of the disruption being created by digital technologies. On one hand, the workforce is seeing tremendous opportunities for career advancement, and on the other, facing challenges emerging from widespread urbanization across its major cities,” said Jaleel.

                                                              

Millennials Drive Innovation

15 percent of APAC office workers felt their organizations were not at all focused on driving new ideas and innovative projects compared to 30 percent who feel their organizations are extremely focused. Respondents in India (91 percent) felt most confident about their organizations’ focus on fostering innovation, while office workers in Hong Kong (75 percent) were most skeptical. 

While technology spearheads innovation at workplaces, young workers are also driving positive transformation across organizations. India respondents stated that sparking creative thinking and innovative projects, creating diverse and open-minded environments, and propagating social media use and engagement are top ways younger workers are driving change.

“Home to the world’s youngest population, millennials comprise a significant proportion of the total workforce in India, and are driving transformational changes at workplaces across the country. These discerning new age workers are not only leading the innovation charter at companies, but most importantly, becoming the torchbearers of diversity and use of technology at work,” added Jaleel.

Man vs Machine

Artificial intelligence and machine learning have helped automate an increasing number of work functions that are changing the productivity paradigm. While anxious about the impact of these new technologies on their jobs, 95 percent of office workers in India are optimistic about using Artificial Intelligence to perform mundane tasks.

Other key findings from The Future of Work: APAC Study include:

For the love of work - Nearly 95 percent of respondents across APAC would continue to work even if they won a lottery, and almost 55 percent would continue in the same job. 48 percent office workers in India would continue their current jobs even if they won a lottery (versus 28 percent in APAC), and 37 percent of Indian respondents said they would use the lottery money to pursue their dream careers.

Why work? - Supporting their lifestyle choices and families were the top two contributors to the overall motivation to work. Respondents in India ranked supporting their family as the top motivating factor to work, and rated fulfilling their lifestyle needs as the least motivating.

Motivations to work at current organization - Following salary and perks, the ability to advance was the highest ranked motivational factor (26 percent) for office workers in India working in their current roles. High quality workspaces and regular communication from senior leadership were rated as important by 25 percent respondents in India.

Think Tank: The Future of Work Conversation

Adobe hosted Think Tank: The Future of Work on 6 December 2017 where an exclusive group of industry leaders discussed how technology is changing the way we live and work in APAC. More information is available at http://adobethinktank.com.

The Future of Work: APAC Study

The Future of Work: APAC Study engaged more than 4,700 APAC office workers who use a computer daily for work. Research was conducted from October 17 to November 13, 2017. The survey included working professionals from various sectors (healthcare, manufacturing, banking/finance, technology/telecom, media & entertainment etc.) across 10 countries - Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. For more information, see the complete report.