Employees have a new “worth it” equation with 67 percent of employees in the Philippines prioritizing their health and well-being over work than before the pandemic.
This was according to Microsoft Corp.'s recently released second annual Work Trend Index report, “Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work.”
Furthermore, the Great Reshuffle isn’t over, according to the company's study of 31,000 people in 31 countries, including the Philippines.
The bulk, or 46 percent of Filipino Gen Z and Millennials are likely to consider changing employers in the year ahead.
Local managers feel wedged between leadership and employee expectations.
Majority, or 69 percent of leaders in the Philippines, say their company is planning a return to full-time in-person work in the year ahead, compared to 50 percent globally.
A good 46 percent of Filipino managers say leadership at their company is out of touch with employee expectations and 81 percent of these managers say they don’t have the influence or resources to drive change for their team.
However, leaders need to make the office worth the commute.
Some 48 percent of hybrid employees in the Philippines say their biggest challenge is knowing when and why to come into the office yet only 38 percent of leaders have created team agreements to define these new norms.
Nonetheless, flexible work doesn’t have to mean “always on.”
A total of 66 percent of workers in the Philippines are open to using immersive digital spaces for meetings in the next year, compared to 52 percent globally.
With 60 percent of hybrid workers in the Philippines considering a shift to full-remote in the year ahead, companies cannot rely solely on the office to recoup the social capital lost in the past two years of the pandemic.
Some 43 percent of leaders in the Philippines say relationship-building is the greatest challenge of having employees work hybrid or remote.
“There’s no erasing the lived experience and lasting impact of the past two years, as flexibility and well-being have become non-negotiables for employees,” said Jared Spataro, corporate vice president, Modern Work, Microsoft.
“By embracing and adapting to these new expectations, organizations can set their people and their business up for long-term success,” he concluded.