Despite being the second largest "thriving" working population in South Asia, 86% of Indians felt they were either struggling or suffering, way above the global average, according to the 2024 Gallup State of the Global Workplace report.
Only 14% of Indian employees felt they were thriving, which is significantly lower than the global average of 34%, it added. Globally, only 34% of employees felt they were thriving, down from 35% in 2023.
South Asia had the lowest percentage of thriving employees at 15%. In contrast, 60% of employees in Australia and New Zealand felt they were thriving.
The American analytics firm calculated the ‘Life Evaluation Index’ based on various factors, categorizing employees into three groups: thriving, struggling and suffering.
The report highlighted that 48% of India's workforce is not engaged, compared to a regional average of 56%. While 32% of Indian employees were engaged—higher than the global average of 23%—20% were actively disengaged.
Employee engagement refers to the dedication and motivation employees feel towards their tasks, boosting productivity and employee satisfaction at the workplace.
"Actively disengaged employees feel disgruntled and disloyal because most of their workplace needs are unmet, and they actively oppose their employer's goals," said the report.
Regarding worker wellbeing, Indian employees report high levels of negative emotions, similar to regional averages. In South Asia, 29% of workers felt lonely, 34% were angry, and 42% were sad. Remote work could be contributing to these feelings, with 25% of remote workers experiencing loneliness compared to 16% on-site workers.
"This percentage is higher for employees under 35 and lower for those over age 35," the report said.
The report said that 57% of Indian employees were of the opinion that the job market was favorable. Although this figure represents a 2% decline compared to the previous year. it is higher than the South Asian average of 48%.
However, 52% of India's employed workforce were actively looking for new jobs, which is lower than the South Asian average, but remains a cause of concern for companies, employers and employees themselves.
"The region's high rate of employees looking to leave their current positions underscores the critical need for employers to engage and support their workforce more effectively. Employers need to focus on prioritizing their employees' work-life experiences if they want to improve their wellness and reduce turnover," Gallup's global research director Rajesh Srinivasan said in a statement.
Gallup said employers must focus on building productive teams and providing benefits and flexibility to support employee wellbeing. "Employees who dislike their jobs tend to have high levels of daily stress and worry, as well as elevated levels of all other negative emotions," it said.
Addressing workplace dissatisfaction can reduce stress and negative emotions, improving overall workforce satisfaction and productivity, it added. "Employers should provide appropriate benefits and flexibility to support employee wellbeing without neglecting their greatest lever on employee life evaluation: building productive, high-performing teams."
