People are turning to robots to support their career development after the COVID-19 pandemic left them feeling lonely and disconnected from their own lives, according to a new study by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence, an HR research and advisory firm.
The study of more than 14,600 employees, managers, HR leaders, and C-level executives across 13 countries found that people all around the world have felt stuck in their personal and professional lives but are ready to regain control of their futures.
The global workforce feels lonely, disconnected, and out of control
More than a year in lockdown and the continued uncertainty due to the pandemic has left many workers in emotional turmoil, feeling like their lives and careers are out of control. Workers worldwide have been negatively impacted over the past year, with people in
80 percent of people have been negatively impacted by the last year, with many struggling financially (29 percent); suffering from declining mental health (28 percent); lacking career motivation (25 percent); and feeling disconnected from their own lives (23 percent). The percentage of Indians under this parameter of negatively impacted people is (91%) with many (44%) struggling financially, (36%) are suffering from declining mental health, (32%) are lacking career motivation and (31%) are feeling disconnected from their own lives.
62 percent found 2021 to be the most stressful year at work ever. More than half (52 percent) of people struggled with mental health at work more in 2021 than in 2020. (68%) of respondents from
The amount of people worldwide who feel little to no control over their personal and professional lives doubled since the start of the pandemic. Globally, people noted they have lost control over their futures (43 percent); personal lives (46 percent); careers (41 percent); and relationships (39 percent) whereas in
76 percent of people feel stuck in their personal lives, feeling anxiety about their future (31 percent); trapped in the same routine (27 percent); and more loneliness than ever before (26 percent). Here, (87%) of respondents from Indian feel stuck in their personal lives over the past year, (40%) are feeling anxiety about their future, (30%) are trapped in the same routine and (28%) are more loneliness than ever before.
People are motivated to make changes, but are facing big challenges
Despite struggles over the last year, people around the world are eager to make changes in their professional lives.
93 percent of people used the past year to reflect on their lives and 88 percent said the meaning of success has changed for them since the pandemic, with work-life balance (42 percent); mental health (37 percent); and workplace flexibility (33 percent) now top priorities. Majority of Indians (96%) said the meaning of 'success' has changed for them since the pandemic and explained that success is now more aligned, more than half (52%) are achieving work-life balance, (44%) are prioritizing mental health, (49%) are having flexibility over when and where they work and (44%) say they are having a meaningful job contributes more to their success than a steady paycheck.
75 percent feel stuck professionally, because they don't have growth opportunities to progress their career (25 percent) and are too overwhelmed to make any changes (22 percent). In
70 percent of people say feeling stuck in their career has negatively impacted their personal lives as well by adding extra stress and anxiety (40 percent); contributing to feeling stuck personally (29 percent); and taking focus away from their personal lives (27 percent). (83%) of Indian workforce says they are feeling stuck in their career, and it has negatively impacted their personal lives as well by adding extra stress and anxiety (50%), contributing to feeling stuck personally (41%) and taking focus away from their personal lives (41%).
83 percent of people are ready to make a change, but 76 percent said they are facing major obstacles. The biggest hurdles include financial instability (22 percent); not knowing what career change makes sense for them (20 percent); not feeling confident enough to make a change (20 percent); and seeing no growth opportunities at their company (20 percent). (97%) of workforce wants to make career changes in
Going into 2022, professional development is top of mind with many willing to give up key benefits such as vacation time (52 percent); monetary bonuses (51 percent); and even part of their salary (43 percent) for more career opportunities. Here (80%) of professionals (respondents from
However, 85 percent of the global workforce are not satisfied with their employer's support. They are looking for organizations to provide more learning and skills development (34 percent); higher salaries (31 percent); and opportunities for new roles within their company (30 percent). (96%) of workforce in
Employees around the world are hungry for new skills and turning to technology for help
To retain and grow top talent amidst changing workplace dynamics, employers need to pay attention to employee needs more than ever before and leverage technology to provide better support.
85 percent of people want technology to help define their future by identifying skills they need to develop (36 percent); recommending ways to learn new skills (36 percent); and providing next steps to progress towards career goals (32 percent). In
82 percent believe robots can support their careers better than a human by giving unbiased recommendations (37 percent); quickly answering questions about their career (33 percent); or finding new jobs that fit their current skills (32 percent). In this parameter, (92%) of Indian respondents believe that robots can support their career development better than humans, (44%) believe that robots are better at giving unbiased recommendations, (46%) are delivering resources tailored to current skills or goals, (50%) are quickly answering questions about their career and (44%) are finding new jobs that fit their current skills.
People believe humans still have a critical role to play in career development and believe humans are better at providing support by offering advice based on personal experience (46 percent); identifying strengths and weaknesses (44 percent); and looking beyond a resume to recommend roles that fit personalities (41 percent). (50%) of respondents from
Supporting Quotes:
'The past year and a half changed how we work including where we work and, for a lot of people, who we work for. While there have been a lot of challenges for both employees and employers, this has been an opportunity to change the workplace for the better,' said
'The last year set a new course for the future of work. Surprisingly, amongst the stress, anxiety, and loneliness of the global pandemic, employees found their voice, became more empowered, and are now speaking up for what they want,' said
Learn more about this global report here
Global findings - https://www.oracle.com/human-capital-management/ai-at-work/
Methodology
Research findings are based on a survey conducted by
Contact Info
Deebba Ali
deebba.ali@oracle.com
About Workplace Intelligence
About Oracle
Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about
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