NEW DELHI, Oct 27: Nine in 10 Indians believe that chatbots or robots can support their career better than human HR managers, as they grapple with various mental health issues in the pandemic, a new report showed on Wednesday.
The percentage of Indians negatively impacted by the pandemic is (91 per cent) with many (44 per cent) struggling financially, (36 per cent) are suffering from declining mental health, (32 per cent) lacking career motivation and (31 per cent) are feeling disconnected from their own lives, according to the study by Cloud major Oracle and Workplace Intelligence, an HR research and advisory firm.
According to Deepa Param Singhal, Vice President, HCM, Oracle APAC, the chief human resource officers (CHROs) now have the additional responsibility of ensuring that the employees, their biggest asset, feel valued and have ample opportunities to grow and develop.
“In this regard, using new-age tech like Artificial intelligence can be an intelligent choice to provide employees with skill enhancement and career-building opportunities,” she told IANS.
Workers worldwide have been negatively impacted over the past year, with people in India and the UAE struggling the most, but also being the most open to technology support.
While 96 per cent of respondents in India said their meaning of success has changed since the pandemic started, 97 per cent of Indians want technology to help define their future.
In India, 68 per cent of people struggled with mental health at work more in 2021 than in 2020.
Employees in the country are also willing to forego many of their benefits for the sake of career advancement.
“According to Indian respondents, 80 per cent would give up vacation time, 77 per cent would forego a monetary bonus, and 76 per cent would even give up a portion of their salary. These are some statistics that demonstrate the employees’ eagerness for long-term and dynamic growth,” informed Singhal.
HR leaders have an added responsibility to ensure that this momentum is maintained by providing employees with ample opportunities to grow and turning their increased desire for growth into a strategic growth plan for both organisations and employees, the report noted.
Nearly 94 per cent of respondents in India believed their company should be doing more to listen to their needs.
About 81 per cent of Indians said they are more likely to stay with a company that uses advanced technologies like AI to support career growth.
The study of more than 14,600 employees, managers, HR leaders, and C-level executives across 13 countries (including India) 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.
“Clearly, people feeling ‘stuck’ in their lives and careers and the fact that robots are increasingly seen as enablers to the human experience is truly valuable to know,” said Vikas Chaturvedi, COO, Executive Education, IIM Ahmedabad.
IANS