Navigating the Hybrid Paradigm: A Qualitative Study of Generation Z Engagement, Well-being, and Productivity in the Indian Information Technology Sector
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66635/19zv7k05Keywords:
Hybrid Working, Gen Z, Engagement, Wellbeing, Indian IT SectorAbstract
As the Indian IT sector is getting used to the "new normal" following the pandemic, the increase in involvement of Generation Z (Gen Z) individuals in the workforce has raised certain organizational issues for them. This research looks at analysing the experience of Gen Z workers at the workplace in hybrid work environment from the point of view of 20 Human Resources (HR) practitioners from the Indian IT industry. With the help of qualitative thematic analysis, it was found that hybrid work serves as a double-edged sword. While on the one hand, hybrid work helps to improve well-being of the workers by reducing stress associated with traveling to the office and adding flexibility to work, on the other hand, it decreases the sense of organizational affiliation of the workers, makes mentorship of young workers difficult and reduces collaboration opportunities and innovation. Additionally, the research showed that many Gen Z workers view their jobs not as careers but as transactions, thus, organizations should switch from monitoring the effort made by the worker to the performance results.
References
1.Allen, T. D., Golden, T. D., and Shockley, K. M. (2021). How effective is telecommuting? Assessing the status of our scientific findings. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(2), 40–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100615593273
2.Allen, T. J., & Henn, G. (2007). The organization and architecture of innovation: Managing the flow of technology. Butterworth-Heinemann.
3.American Psychological Association. (2023). Work in America Survey 2023. American Psychological Association.
4.Bailenson, J. N. (2021). Nonverbal overload: A theoretical argument for the causes of Zoom fatigue. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000030
5.Bakker, A. B., and Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands–Resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
6.Bloom, N., Han, R., & Liang, J. (2024). Return-to-office mandates. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 31536.
7.Bloom, N., Liang, J., Roberts, J., & Ying, Z. J. (2015). Does working from home work? Evidence from a Chinese experiment. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 130(1), 165–218. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qju032
8.Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
9.Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. Sage Publications.
10.Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
11.Choudhury, P., Foroughi, C., & Larson, B. (2021). Work-from-anywhere: The productivity effects of geographic flexibility. Strategic Management Journal, 42(4), 655–683. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.3251
12.Creswell, J. W., and Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
13.Deloitte. (2024). 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey. Deloitte Global.
14.Deloitte. (2024). 2024 Global Human Capital Trends. Deloitte Insights.
15.Dimock, M. (2019). Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins. Pew Research Cente.
16.Elhai, J. D., Dvorak, R. D., Levine, J. C., & Hall, B. J. (2017). Problematic smartphone use: A conceptual overview and systematic review of relations with anxiety and depression psychopathology. Journal of Affective Disorders, 207, 251–259.
17.Eurofound. (2020). Living, working and COVID-19. Publications Office of the European Union.
18.Francis, T., and Hoefel, F. (2018). 'True Gen': Generation Z and its implications for companies. McKinsey and Company.
19.Gallup. (2023). State of the Global Workplace 2023 Report. Gallup Press.
20.Gallup. (2024). How Millennials and Gen Z Are Reshaping the Workplace. Gallup.
21.Gartner. (2024). Future of Work Trends: Hybrid Work and Return-to-Office Strategies. Gartner Research.
22.Glaser, B. G., and Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Aldine.
23.Golden, T. D., Veiga, J. F., & Dino, R. N. (2008). The impact of professional isolation on teleworker job performance and turnover intentions: Does time spent teleworking, interacting face-to-face, or having access to communication-enhancing technology matter? Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(6), 1412–1421. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012722
24.Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture's consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
25.Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), 692–724. https://doi.org/10.2307/256287
26.Kniffin, K. M., et al. (2021). COVID-19 and the workplace: Implications, issues, and insights for future research and action. American Psychologist, 76(1), 63–77. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000716
27.Latané, B., Williams, K., & Harkins, S. (1979). Many hands make light the work: The causes and consequences of social loafing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37(6), 822–832. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.37.6.822
28.Leonardi, P. M. (2021). COVID-19 and the new technologies of organizing: Digital exhaust, digital footprints, and an emerging data infrastructure. Journal of Management Studies, 58(1), 249–253. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12693
29.Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.
30.Microsoft. (2022). Work Trend Index: Great Expectations—Making Hybrid Work. Microsoft.
31.Microsoft. (2023). Work Trend Index Annual Report: Will AI Fix Work? Microsoft.
32.Montag, C., & Walla, P. (Eds.). (2016). Internet addiction: Neuroscientific approaches and therapeutical interventions. Springer.
33.Newport, C. (2016). Deep work: Rules for focused success in a distracted world. Grand Central Publishing.
34.Nonaka, I., & Takeuchi, H. (1995). The knowledge-creating company: How Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation. Oxford University Press.
35.Oakman, J., Kinsman, N., Stuckey, R., Graham, M., & Weale, V. (2020). A rapid review of mental and physical health effects of working at home: How do we optimise health? BMC Public Health, 20, 1825. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09875-z
36.OECD. (2023). The future of teleworking: Flexible work in the digital age. OECD Publishing.
37.Oldenburg, R. (1999). The great good place. Marlowe & Company.
38.Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
39.Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1108/10748120110424816
40.PwC. (2024). Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2024. PwC.
41.Rosenfield, M. (2016). Computer vision syndrome: A review of ocular causes and potential treatments. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, 36(5), 502–515. https://doi.org/10.1111/opo.12309
42.Rousseau, D. M. (1995). Psychological contracts in organizations: Understanding written and unwritten agreements. Sage Publications.
43.Ryan, R. M., and Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68
44.Saldaña, J. (2021). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
45.Schein, E. H., & Schein, P. A. (2021). Organizational culture and leadership (6th ed.). Wiley.
46.Schroth, H. (2019). Are you ready for Gen Z in the workplace? California Management Review, 61(3), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008125619841006
47.Smith, J. A., and Osborn, M. (2015). Interpretative phenomenological analysis as a useful methodology for research on the lived experience of pain. British Journal of Pain, 9(1), 41–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/2049463714541642
48.Twenge, J. M. (2017). iGen: Why today's super-connected kids are growing up less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy—and completely unprepared for adulthood. Atria Books.
49.Waizenegger, L., McKenna, B., Cai, W., and Bendz, T. (2020). An affordance perspective of team collaboration and enforced working from home during COVID-19. European Journal of Information Systems, 29(4), 429–442. https://doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2020.1800417
50.Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press





