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The Indian workforce has been struggling to strike a work-life balance ever since the start of the pandemic which was followed by several lockdowns. This has not only affected how one works at home but has also contributed to a steep increase in screen-time and networking, leaving little time for other activities. The New Sense of Place report by Script a Godrej & Boyce venture states that 67 per cent of Indians would respond to work messages everyday while at home under normal circumstances. Mumbai topped the survey with 85 per cent of respondents admitting to respond to work messages while at home, followed by Kolkata with 65 per cent, Delhi with 60 per cent, and Bengaluru with 59 per cent.
The survey findings highlight the ever-changing role of physical spaces in the lives of Indians. While remote work has ensured that there is a workspace in every house, it has left working professionals without any 'me-time'. This has been echoed by professionals surveyed across the four cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. They further say that work-from-home has left little time for other activities and thus melding time for personal and professional activities at home.
According to the survey, Indians undertake several other activities while working due to sheer lack of time, with 47 per cent of residents in Mumbai planning their menu while on work meetings, followed by 48 per cent of residents in Kolkata helping their kids with their homework. Furthermore, 85 per cent of residents in Bengaluru admitted to research on their next career move while at work, followed by 72 per cent of residents in Delhi.
The contemporary Indian home is embracing the remote working flexibility that most companies offer today, blurring the line between place and purpose. Interestingly, more than half of India's working population believes that their best work happens, when outside office -- suggesting that spaces are no longer defined by their functionality anymore.
Rajat Mathur, Business Head, Script by Godrej & Boyce, said, "With work from home becoming the norm, our professional hours are melding into personal ones. There are multiple ways in which Indian professionals have been trying to balance their lives with work, giving us a unique insight into the life of a working professional in today's time."
"We see there is a greater need for purpose, ergonomics, and aesthetics in individual's lives and this has been the inspiration for the Script's new activity-based furniture and accessories. We have witnessed a 35 per cent growth in the sale of accessories and a 2x growth in the sale of WFH furniture in the last year alone. This is testament to the fact that people would like greater comfort and me-space to be at their productive best. The recently launched SCRIPT ecosystems like Archipelago and Float are two great examples that testify how our products are enabling a fluid living experience. We would urge professionals to take cognizance of this and squeeze in some free time around their schedules for some relaxation by experiencing futuristic home accessories and furniture designs."
Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in