Over the last few years, many of us have given a serious thought to how our lives have been affected by our work patterns. Until perhaps early 2000 to 2010, business and HR leaders would have a clear agenda and budget for staff welfare, and the HR function’s thought and attention would be towards tactical activity-related engagement and recreation for employees. But today, we are at a different point in how organizational dynamics play out. An increased awareness for wellbeing is seen; people are not only reading about it but practicing it in their daily lives, and as such have expectations from their companies and from their countries to craft necessary laws and policies towards it. In case of India, the pace has been slower, but we have seen many a discussion in 2023.

Business leaders seem to now be pulled from both ends – the notion that they need to run profitable businesses, but at the same time not risk losing great talent, who have been over the years increasingly voicing concerns of stress, over-work, lack of resources, multi-tasking due to crunched timelines, etc. It was an easy equation they said earlier – Productivity = Output / Input. But then it didn’t turn out as simple – given that our ‘human’ selves had to factor in many variables in this equation, making the ‘Input’ part quite difficult to ascertain.

With every generation, the concepts of Work Life Balance, Wellbeing, etc. have been increasingly gaining importance. An article in Forbes in 2018 quoted how it all started with the Baby Boomers who were exposed to the hardships of making a decent life very early (post World War II) and tended to stay at companies for longer periods of time. The origins of factors like stress date back to these periods. Gen X weren’t very impressed with how they saw their parents, and hence started giving more importance to work-life balance by taking more Paid Time Off, looking for perks like extended maternity, telecommuting, etc. The Millennials or Gen Y took it one step ahead by demanding flexibility in their work environment. While they did not shun the concept of work-life integration, with a lot of play and recreation happening within the office workspace / a longer working day interspersed with breaks, etc. - one thing was clear: work-life balance was here to stay.

Where we stand now – we are witnessing Gen Z and beyond, and a post-Covid generation, who have challenged norms at the workplace. These generations have more access to information than ever before and are quick to form stronger opinions. Business and HR leaders are at the cusp of developing new talent strategies for enhanced productivity but are faced with demanding questions. Are paradigms of measuring productivity changing, with the heightened need for wellbeing and work-life balance now?

The rift is seen to be higher in countries like in India. Traditionally we have been a country influenced by our own traditions and Western world dynamics. And of course, it has worked for us for the better. With necessary Government interventions, like the Liberalization in 1991 and the more recent Make in India movement, many things have improved, and we have developed. Our GDP growth now far outshines the other countries.

But all may not be rosy for India – on one hand we have high growth, strong economic reforms, digital transformation, entrepreneurship and startups and global trade opportunities. On the other hand, we still reel from the usual suspects - infrastructure deficiencies, bureaucratic red tape, educational disparities, healthcare challenges, etc. Despite this, many economists predict the power center shifting to the Asian countries and India is in the forefront. What’s important now is to see how we build a country in which our future generations would aspire to live in and contribute to. While capitalism gave birth to a lot of fine business leaders in India, and the last 25 years brought so many multi-nationals= corporations to our country, it remains to be seen on how we can build a happy, prosperous nation – one which is focused not only on wealth generation and GDP, but also on more central aspects of a longer, healthier life.

If you look across the world, the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden have gained huge popularity over the years for consistently being recognized among the countries with highest happiness indices. These countries have been known to give high weightage to work-life balance. What contributes to all this are well-structured social policies and welfare systems, flexible work arrangements, focus on gender equality, shorter working hours, a plethora of outdoor and recreational activities, quality of education and healthcare and high levels of trust – among other factors. And now there are several other countries who have now slowly started imbibing some of their practices.

As a reader, you would of course say that India is very different from them. Well, that’s true, but we do have a lot to learn, and perhaps on the people front, we can borrow some practices too. India is definitely a country complex by its demographics, cultures, and traditions. Though it’s necessary for us to realize that as a country, we will play the longer game of development if in addition to GDP growth, we also focus on the health and well-being of our citizens. A lot of the so-called ‘rat race’ begins from one’s school and college itself, and then carries on into employed life. The single thought on the mind of a salaried employee is to meet the financial goals for one’s family and then to try and make enough money for retirement. In this race, sometimes we do miss out on the finer nuances of living a good quality life. For decades, Indian companies have valued hard work, loyalty, sincerity, achievement orientation, the right ‘attitude’, and the likes to go above and beyond – and inevitably made these behaviors crucial for workplace success. No doubt these are essential, but some such aspects are now being challenged by today’s generations.

In a 2023 research study conducted by the RPG Group spanning 13 cities and over 4000 working professionals and students in the age group of 18-25, 57% said they will prefer working organizations who are strict about work-life balance. 61% individuals said that they would accept less money in lieu of a workplace that values mental health and inclusivity. Times are certainly changing. Companies need to revisit their employer value propositions. India has the right ingredients of a country poised to lead some powerful global agendas in the next decade. But perhaps some introspection will help us grow much more.

What India needs to do foremost is to appreciate what it has – its people strengths, and then dive deeper into how it can sustain this to give new meaning to the word productivity. For the next decade of growth and development, it’s up to us as individuals, to the organizations and to India, the country. Here are the roles each of these would play:

What’s in my and your control - as a person employed?

At the cost of sounding preachy on morals and values, we cannot run away - both as employees and as citizens – from the basics.

1. We must continue being diligent about our personal growth and development and open our eyes and ears to how the world is changing. We must learn to keenly observe global trends and understand and appreciate inclusion and diversity.
2. There is never going to be a substitute for hard work. But we need to learn to be smarter, by equipping ourselves with a good understanding of newer tools and technologies so that we continually stay productive.
3. We need to frequently communicate with our employers on what is important to us at work, and what productivity means to us.
4. Finally, we must give up on the age-old notion of ‘retirement at X age’. Work and life are interspersed. It’s time to start thinking of a multi-stage life, as opposed to the conventional 3-stage life of education, work, and retirement, as rightly framed by Lynda Gratton in her book – the 100-Year Life.

Where Indian employers can start shaping a better working ethic:

1. Companies in India need to think for the longer run and build companies to last. They need to challenge themselves to not only think speed in achieving results but how results are a mix of monetary gains and good health & well-being (after all, health is wealth)
2. Hiring and developing visionary leaders would be key. India needs far-sighted individuals, who believe in experimenting for a better India – from tactical goals of resource forecasting, buffering bench strength – to building the right work-environment and culture.
3. Organizations should give high importance to Personal Development Goals as part of OKRs and org objectives - around personal growth and wellbeing.

What is the country’s role?

To build a next decade roadmap, India needs to redefine what it stands for – perhaps build a new definition for ‘a healthy and productive nation’– and then ensure government policies and practices around it. India needs to harness both its political and business leaders – public private partnerships are now essential in areas like creating community living institutions for the elderly, creating newer cities, building more efficient systems and processes – all this can all contribute to enhancing national productivity.

As a country we are racing on the path from being ‘Developing to Developed’, but perhaps there is more to be seen to embark on the journey from ‘Good to Great’. But while the nation does its part, and companies get their act together for better productivity measures, let’s also not forget our own duties to build a finer nation.