91% CEOs in India want to promote in-office employees over remote workers: Survey

Ninety-one 91 percent of CEOs in India are prepared to reward employees who consistently come into the office with promotions, raises, and more favorable assignments, a recent study found. Globally, the figure stood at 87 percent. According to the KPMG 2024 CEO Outlook survey, business leaders in India are taking a firm stance on returning to pre-pandemic, in-office work models.

The report, for which 125 Indian CEOs were surveyed, stated that 78 percent of CEOs in India, compared to 83 percent globally, envision a return to an in-office working environment for their employees within the next three years. Only 14 percent of the business leaders surveyed opted for a fully remote workforce and 30 percent envisioned a hybrid working environment for corporate employees in the next three years.

"The survey has indicated that a significant portion of the CEOs in India envision a future predominantly characterised by in-office work environment," said Sunit Sinha, partner and head-human capital advisory solutions, business consulting, KPMG in India. "As the trend of employees reassessing their work preferences in the post-COVID-19 era gains momentum, it becomes imperative for businesses to gain a comprehensive understanding of the talent landscape in India."

The report comes at a time when corporate behemoths such as Amazon and Dell have been calling employees back to work, insisting they work from the office five days a week. The announcements have been met with massive clapback from the employees with 73 percent of Amazon workers considering quitting.