Indians want to work remotely long after lockdown ends, says a new survey

• According to a survey conducted by online learning platform Udemy in March, at least four in five working professionals are likely to work in a remote setup more often even after lockdown lifts.
  
• “It’s very possible that we see a different kind of workplace after the lockdown. Before we were only talking about the future of work but now we are actually living it,” Irwin Anand, MD, Udemy India told Business Insider.
  
• This comes as most of the employees are afraid that going to the workplace or for meetings might expose them to catch the virus infection.

It’s been over a month since a majority of the organisations have asked their employees to work remotely to avoid Coronavirus. A few companies like TCS also hinted that work from home could be the ‘new normal’. And, it looks like even employees are willing to do so, long after lockdown lifts.

According to a survey conducted by online learning platform Udemy in March, at least four in five working professionals are likely to work in a remote setup more often. They surveyed over 1,000 full-time employees in India.

“It’s very possible that we see a different kind of workplace after the lockdown. Before we were only talking about the future of work but now we are actually living it. Many companies are operating a completely remote workforce, conducting business via video conference calls, and upskilling online. We will most likely see a more flexible work environment,” Irwin Anand, MD, Udemy India told Business Insider.

Most employees are afraid that travelling to work or for meetings might expose them to the virus. Indians already spend a lot of their day commuting. An average Indian office-goer spends over two hours commuting everyday — accounting for 7% of their day, according to a survey by MoveInSync. Now, the spread of the infection is holding them back as they practise social distancing.

Employees are also figuring out how efficiently they can capitalize on their remote work routine. “They are turning to online courses for help. We have seen double-digit growth in learning on Udemy and some of the most popular topics they’re learning include time management and personal development,” Anand said.

According to Udemy, many patterns affecting normal, everyday workplace distractions suddenly became extraordinary in size, style, and substance – arguably creating a ‘new normal’ in the workplace for the foreseeable future.

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