Around the world, office workers are feeling increased pressure at work because their colleagues are quitting. The pressure is the highest in India with 70% of workers reporting the same, reveals a new study by UiPath, an enterprise automation software company. 

Alarmingly, 74% of Indian and 68% of global respondents reported that they do not know what their responsibilities are anymore, because things at work have changed so much since their coworkers quit.

UiPath’s 2022 Office Worker Survey also found that monotonous tasks are amplifying employee unhappiness and uncertainty and employees would welcome new processes and technologies such as automation to allow them to focus on work that matters.

“In India, 79% of respondents reported that they have had to take up to six new tasks or responsibilities outside of their job description due to coworkers resigning,’’ said Anil Bhasin, managing director and vice president, UiPath--India, and South Asia. 

“99% feel automating certain tasks can improve their job performance by saving time, increasing productivity, and creating opportunities to focus on more important work. The way we work must change,” he added.

Labor shortages, mundane work causing people to quit

As many as 73% of Indian respondents say they are interested or could be swayed into looking for a new job in the next six months. About two in five (41%) say they are currently applying for another job, or have had interviews with another company in the past six months. 

Local office workers are motivated to seek a new position due to increased pressure on work/life balance (44%), spending too much time on administrative tasks (37%), and lack of employee recognition (28%).

Expanding roles compounded by monotonous tasks 

96% of Indian respondents say they feel exhausted at the end of a workday at least one day per week. They are frustrated by tasks like research to improve existing products and services (44%), drafting and responding to emails (43%), creating new products and services (38%) and scheduling calls and meetings (37%).

Automation core to improving job performance, satisfaction

Employees feel like much of their workday is eaten up by tasks that can be automated. 73% of Indian employees agree. Respondents believe that automation can improve their job performance, namely by saving time (62%), increasing productivity (61%), and creating opportunities to focus on more important work (59%).

Automation can help fight the Great Resignation

91% of Indian respondents contend that incorporating automation—including training on automation—could help their organisation attract new and retain existing talent. 86% of respondents in India reported that their organisations offer employees access to AI or automated tools. This is the highest in any region polled. 

Business leaders are already on board, with 85% of those surveyed in the UiPath 2022 Executive Survey agreeing that incorporating automation and automation training into their organisation will help them retain employees and attract new talent. 

The survey polled more than 5,000 office workers across the US, UK, France, Germany, India, Australia, and Singapore and was conducted in February 2022.