More than half of the Indian workforce or 59 per cent are not happy at work, with e-commerce and retail accounting having the highest number of unhappy people and healthcare pharmaceuticals having the greatest number of happy people, according to a recent survey of 1,360 employees by consultancy firm House of Cheer.
Only 25 percent of those working in e-commerce and retail said they were happy, while 51 percent of those in healthcare and pharmaceuticals said they were happy. Retail and e-commerce has the least number of happy women employees at 11 per cent, while Fintech has the least number of happy men at 27 per cent.
The high pressures and expectations of the industry can cause the glaringly low percentage of happy employees in the retail and e-commerce sector. The stress levels of the employees are a result of the intense competition among the players in the industry and the need for employees to deliver perfectly and quickly.
The report said healthcare and pharma, which saw an increase in the risk due to the lower likelihood of layoffs and sector shrinkage and high pay, offers a sense of validation for the purpose and meaning of life for a lot of healthcare employees, along with a sense of belongingness that they share with their coworkers.
According to the report, more people in retail and e-commerce experience greater work interference in their personal lives than those in the healthcare sector.
The study found that workplace happiness is a combination of psychological factors, such as belongingness, autonomy, sense of meaning purpose and stress management, as well as workplace-specific factors such as innovation, turnover intention and work-life balance. It said that happiness and general wellbeing are important for sustained happiness at workplace.
The study found that 47 percent of the men said they were happy at work, while only 37 percent of women agreed to the statement. While there isn't a huge gap between the general well-being of men and women, it shows a need to pay attention to external factors such as pay and job positions that could affect the workplace happiness levels for women. Besides this, the gender roles in society that sometimes make it hard for women to multitask and cater to the needs of both their home and work lives.
The study also found that 44 per cent of full-time employees are happier than 25 per cent of part-time employees, but it doesn't equate to flexibility because 59 per cent of employees prefer to work from home.
The study found that 41 per cent of employees do not want to leave their jobs, but they are particularly unhappy at work, because they want to leave their jobs. More women than men plan to leave their jobs as 62 per cent of women said they have a high intention to leave their job, while 58 percent of men said they have a high intention to leave their job. For women, the reasons included being older Gen X and Boomers having fewer children and lower workplace happiness.
It was greater stress for women. There is more interference between the work and personal lives and greater overall well-being among the common reasons for both genders. The intent to leave jobs does not vary across generations. The number of Gen Z and Millennials is 21 per cent, while 22 per cent of Gen Z and Millennials want to leave their jobs.