Being on good terms with colleagues, bosses could improve productivity: Study

Employee productivity, along with recruitment, has been one of the top concerns of HR managers. Though bonding with the boss or colleagues might not be imperative to excelling at the workplace, a new study has found being on good terms with colleagues and bosses can help improve productivity to a large extent.

A study by recruitment specialist Michael Page India has noted that apart from the scope of responsibilities and tasks at the workplace, employee-employer relationship, commuting and flexi-environment impact the productivity of employees.

The agency conducted the study among 585 Gen-Ys from varied sectors and senior levels across India. Almost 98 per cent of those surveyed stated that being on good terms with colleagues and bosses could improve productivity.

Having a good relationship with the supervisor can have a positive impact on one's career, while a negative work environment leads to high employee turnover rates.

Employees are the most important assets of an organisation, notes Mohit Bharti, Regional Director at Michael Page India. He adds several companies in India have started modifying their employee policies for a healthy work-life balance and controlled attrition rate.

Flexi work environment

“More than balancing, integration is required between work and personal life to achieve higher productivity, leading to a better outcome” says Bharti.

In India, work-life balance tends to play a key role in employees’ performance at work and organisations have acknowledged this as an important factor in reducing attrition. The study analysed how employees carve quality time out of their weeks for family.

Though the advancement of technology has addressed some issues by enhancing remote connectivity and accessibility around the clock, the study showed 90 per cent employees stating a flexible work environment was important. While 60 per cent indicated that it gave them better work-life balance, 34 per cent claimed it increased professional productivity.

The survey showed an average 92 per cent spend less than an hour on personal matters at work. While 65 percent employees say they chat with family and friends on messaging apps, 27 per cent tend to send personal emails at the workplace.

Stress beyond work hours

Achieving the perfect equilibrium among personal, professional and family life has become a day-to-day task for the modern Indian workforce. But it has also become a major issue for many corporates.

“The growing ‘always-on’ work culture among millennials has cost employees their mental health, undermining the quality of work,” says Bharti. “Performance pressure and fear of losing jobs are the major reasons for extensive stress beyond work hours. Identifying multiple ways to address such problems has become critical for employees as well as organisations,” he adds.

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