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A sizeable number of employees – 78 per cent – is choosing to return to office by their own will, a recent survey by professional networking platform LinkedIn has found. The trend reflects a shift since employees earlier considered it an obligation to report to the office.
Several buzzwords, such as desk bombing, career gazing, loud leaving and monk mode, too, have entered the workplace lexicon. These trends and data insights were obtained from the latest LinkedIn report, which relied on a survey conducted by Censuswide. The survey accounted for over 1,001 workers in India above 18 years of age and was conducted between February 28 and March 6 this year.
‘Desk bombing’ facilitates impromptu conversations
Desk bombing is when a colleague shows up unannounced at someone's work desk. The survey revealed that 62 per cent of professionals believe desk bombing can be a great conversation starter. The insights show that Gen Z professionals embrace desk bombing and believe it can act as an ice-breaker.
‘Loud leaving’ sends the message loud and clear
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When an individual, especially someone in a managerial position, intentionally and visibly leaves the workplace, it is called loud leaving. Here, the loud leaver sends a clear message that it is all right to take a break and stop working at a reasonable time. According to the LinkedIn survey, 60 per cent of the respondents reported having experienced loud leaving.
Thursday is the new Friday
An interesting insight from the new report is how professionals feel about working on Fridays. To that, 79 per cent of the respondents said “Thursday is the new Friday” for them, meaning that Friday is the least popular day among workers to visit the office.
Of the professionals who said that Thursdays feel like Fridays, 50 per cent said they would prefer to spend time with friends and family, and 46 per cent shared that they would like to kickstart an early weekend after finishing their work quickly on Fridays.
Returning to physical workplaces can activate ‘monk mode’
Compared to last year, 86 per cent of the employees said they feel positive working in outdoor (outside home) environments. Returning to their office space allows several such employees to sideline distractions and focus solely on one task. The report said one out of two workers successfully activated monk mode when working in the office.
‘Career gazing’ can facilitate one’s growth
The report also highlighted the act of career gazing that allows individuals to share ideas and listen to the perspectives of others. This way, if people allot some time for career gazing, they can learn about better career opportunities.
Chai breaks bring back nostalgia
Based on the report, 72 per cent of the professionals miss having chai (tea) breaks with their co-workers. For them, the tea breaks were an efficient way of workplace bonding and allowed individuals to exchange banter relating to their personal and work lives, and have a laugh. “Informal conversations or chai breaks can also help boost long-term career growth when done with intention,” Nirajita Banerjee, managing editor, LinkedIn India, said in the report.
For employees, visiting the office spaces facilitates social interactions (43 per cent), leads to efficient in-person meetings (42 per cent), and helps in building strong workplace relationships (41 per cent).
In 2022, quiet quitting and career cushioning were two of the most talked-about workplace trends. While quiet quitting refers to doing the bare minimum in a job, career cushioning means formulating a Plan B and looking out for oneself in case of layoffs.
