Beyond Mandates: The Future of Work in India

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  A great office is now the baseline, not the solution: While employees appreciate high-quality workplaces, these environments are no longer enough to secure their loyalty. This signals that leaders must look beyond physical amenities to address the deeper needs that truly drive retention, such as purpose and well-being.

• The meaning of ‘flexibility’ has evolved from location to autonomy: Today's workforce values the trust and freedom to manage their own schedules more than the option to work remotely. This calls for a shift in leadership, moving from a culture of presence to one based on empowerment and results.

• The workplace's new purpose is to foster growth: To combat the critical risks of burnout and attrition, the office must become more than just a place to complete tasks. Its strategic value now lies in being a dynamic hub where people can develop new skills and collaborate on meaningful work, providing a compelling reason to stay and grow with the company.

The narrative of the global workforce is one of tension, a push-and-pull between office mandates and the demand for remote work. India, however, is scripting a different, more nuanced story. Our latest research, the JLL Workforce Preference Barometer 2025 – a global survey including 8,700 employees across 31 countries – uncovers a compelling reality from its 626 respondents from India. While an impressive 83% of the Indian workforce has embraced return-to-office mandates, a staggering 40% are simultaneously at risk of leaving their jobs within the next year.  Essentially, employees in India are happier with their office environments than many others in the Asia Pacific region, yet they also face the highest levels of burnout and are the most likely to leave their jobs.

This fascinating paradox is the defining challenge as well as the opportunity for corporate real estate leaders in India. The old approach of simply getting people back to their desks and enforcing attendance is now obsolete. Success hinges on creating a workplace that offers real, valuable benefits that make the commute worthwhile. The findings from the survey provide a clear guide on winning the future of work in one of the world's most dynamic markets.

In India, the debate over office attendance is largely settled. A significant 82% of employees report having a mandated number of days to work from the office, a figure higher than the APAC average of 71%. These policies predominantly favour a structured hybrid model over full-time RTO mandates.

What is most striking is the overwhelmingly positive reception. An impressive 83% of Indian employees report positive sentiments toward their company’s RTO mandate, compared to 75% across APAC. The primary driver for this positivity is rooted in a deep-seated belief that "we work better together in the same office." This underscores a strong, collaboration-centric work culture that views the office as vital for collective success.

More importantly, this positive reception is directly correlated with a high-quality workplace experience.

• 96% of Indian employees genuinely enjoy working from their office, compared to an 85% APAC average
• 83% consider their work environment as "close to ideal," a figure that dramatically surpasses the APAC average of 64%
   

The insight is clear: Indian companies that invested in creating a compelling destination have successfully made the office a magnet, not a mandate. The quality of the physical environment is directly fuelling policy acceptance and employee satisfaction.

Indian organizations have clearly heard the call to make the commute worthwhile. Employers are not just meeting expectations; they are creating an ‘expectation surplus.’ This counters the global trend of an expectation gap and highlights a proactive approach from Indian firms.

But with the basics covered, employees are now looking for what's next. While satisfaction is high for foundational needs like finding a desk and collaborating with teams, a more nuanced experience gap emerges. Employees identify a need for improvement in wellness, collaborative and social features.

And at the centre of it all is a simple human need: a good meal. For one in two employees, quality food services is the single most important factor in improving their day at work.

The path forward: investment must pivot from the purely functional to the deeply experiential. The question is no longer “do we have enough meeting rooms?” but “does our space inspire groundbreaking ideas?” It’s not about providing coffee but about curating a food and beverage experience that becomes a cornerstone of the workday.

This is where the story gets interesting. Despite loving their offices, 2 in every 5 Indian employees are considering leaving their jobs within a year, the highest attrition risk in the APAC region. This is fuelled by a burnout crisis, with 54% of employees reporting moderate to high burnout levels – the highest rate in the region.

This raises a critical question: if the office is so great, why are people ready to leave?

The answer is that the definition of a ‘good job’ has changed. While salary is still important, the drivers of attrition have fundamentally shifted. Since 2022, the desire for more flexibility has surged by 27% as a reason for leaving, while the need for skills development has grown by 21%. But this is not about working from home. Employees are happy to come to the office but are desperate for autonomy. The demand for flexibility is no longer about location but about trust and control. Six in ten employees now cite flexibility as a top driver when choosing a new employer, and half of them define this as the ability to adapt their working hours to personal needs.

There's another major shift happening: the AI revolution. And India's workforce is not just ready for AI; they are leading the charge. An incredible 9 out of 10 employees are optimistic about AI, seeing it as a tool to boost their productivity and create new career opportunities. This is backed by unprecedented investment in upskilling. India leads the APAC region for AI training, with 96% of employees receiving some form of upskilling. As a result, 65% feel well-equipped to use AI in their jobs – nearly double the regional average.

This changes the very purpose of the office. As AI handles more routine tasks, the value of human-centric work like collaboration, mentorship and innovation grows exponentially. To retain talent and stay competitive, the workplace can no longer be just a place to get tasks done. It must become a dynamic, AI-enabled learning hub where employees can master new skills, collaborate on innovative projects, and turn their AI knowledge into real-world results. Imagine rooms that reconfigure based on the cognitive task at hand, integrated AI tools that facilitate hybrid collaboration, and dedicated upskilling zones where the application of AI is a daily, hands-on practice.

This will not only boost productivity but also address a key driver of attrition: the desire to acquire new skills.

For corporate real estate leaders:

1. Turn your office from a place to work into a place to be

• Go beyond the basics: Shift investment focus from basic functions to experiential elements. Prioritize inspiring design, acoustic comfort, and social hubs that foster community and culture. These are the elements that build culture and make people want to come in.

• Treat wellness as an essential, not a perk: High-quality food, access to health services, and dedicated wellness rooms are now essential infrastructure for a healthy, productive workforce. Think of them as crucial tools for success, not as optional extras.

• Make your office a learning lab: Employees are hungry to master AI and other new skills. The office should be the best place for them to do it. Create dedicated tech hubs or AI sandboxes with the latest tools where people can learn, experiment, and collaborate. This transforms the office from a place of production into a hub of innovation and growth.
  
  

2. Build a culture of trust and wellbeing

• Expand flexibility beyond location: The conversation is no longer just about where people work, but when. Move beyond rigid 3-2 hybrid schedules and prioritize autonomy over working hours. Granting employees control over their start/end times or the ability to adapt their schedule to personal needs is a powerful competitive advantage in talent acquisition.

• Make wellbeing a business imperative: The alarming burnout rate of 54% cannot be ignored. It is a critical business risk that leads to lost talent and productivity. Go beyond simple wellness apps and implement real, proactive programs that support mental health and prevent burnout before it starts. This is not just the right thing to do, it is a direct investment in retaining the best talent.

• Train managers to lead in a flexible world: A flexible work policy is only as good as the manager who leads it. Invest in training your leaders on how to manage by results, not by visibility. Give them the skills to foster collaboration effectively in a hybrid setting and, most importantly, to spot the early signs of burnout on their teams.
  
  

For real estate investors:

1. Invest in ‘human-centric’ buildings: The most valuable properties of the future will be the ones that put people first. Target assets that offer top-tier amenities like fitness centres, quality food options, and wellness-focused designs. These are the buildings that leading companies will pay a premium for.

2. Build for flexibility, not just for today: A smart building is a flexible building. Invest in properties with a variety of space types, from quiet focus rooms to large social areas. Assets that can easily adapt to new ways of working will always be in high demand.

3. Create the learning hubs of tomorrow: There is a new and growing demand for spaces designed specifically for corporate training and innovation. By developing properties with integrated tech labs and learning zones, you can attract companies who see upskilling as critical to their future.

The Indian workforce has spoken. They have embraced the office but demand a new deal – one founded on superior experience, true autonomy, and continuous growth. The future of work in India will not be defined by a binary choice between the office and home, but by an organization's ability to create a holistic work ecosystem that delivers on three fronts: a magnetic physical environment, a culture of genuine flexibility and trust, and a commitment to continuous growth and upskilling.