India's employees are happier but no longer willing to go the extra mile at work

Indian workplaces are offering better perks, benefits and employee experiences than ever before. Yet a new Great Place To Work report reveals a surprising trend. Employees are becoming less willing to put in extra effort, with the sharpest decline seen in the IT sector, raising fresh questions about workplace motivation.Indian workplaces are offering better perks, benefits and employee experiences than ever before. Yet a new Great Place To Work report reveals a surprising trend. Office perks are improving. Workplaces are becoming more employee-friendly. Companies are investing in better benefits and creating more enjoyable work environments.Yet employees are putting in less extra effort than before.That is the biggest finding from the latest Great Place To Work India's Best Companies To Work For 2026 report, which points to a growing gap between employee experience and employee motivation. While work may be a better place to be, it is no longer a place where many employees feel inspired to go above and beyond.WHAT IS CHANGING AT INDIAN WORKPLACES?The report says discretionary effort, or the willingness of employees to do more than what their role demands, has fallen by 4% since 2023. Even more striking, 63% of organisations surveyed reported a year-on-year decline in employees' willingness to go the extra mile.This comes at a time when employee experiences are actually improving. Companies are offering better benefits, more engaging workplaces and a stronger focus on making work enjoyable. But those improvements are no longer translating into greater commitment or energy at work. According to the report, employees increasingly feel that work is simply not worth stretching themselves for.SOME INDUSTRIES ARE FEELING IT MORE THAN OTHERSThe slowdown in discretionary effort is not evenly spread across sectors.The Information Technology sector recorded the biggest decline at 6%, followed by Professional Services at 5% and Construction, Infrastructure and Real Estate at 4%.Manufacturing stood out as an exception, managing to largely sustain employee willingness to put in extra effort compared to other sectors.IndustryChange in discretionary effort (since 2023)Key takeawayInformation Technology-6%Biggest decline among all sectors. Employees are significantly less willing to go beyond assigned responsibilities.Professional Services-5%Second-largest drop, indicating declining extra effort despite improving workplace experience.Construction, Infrastructure & Real Estate-4%Noticeable decline, suggesting motivation challenges extend beyond knowledge industries.ManufacturingLargely stable (no percentage given)The report says manufacturing has "managed to sustain discretionary effort comparatively better" than other sectors. No numeric decline is provided.The findings suggest that knowledge-driven industries, where workloads and expectations have rapidly evolved in recent years, are seeing the sharpest shift in employee attitudes.WHY PERKS ARE NO LONGER ENOUGHFor years, organisations believed that improving employee experience would naturally result in better performance.The report argues that this equation no longer holds true.Employees may appreciate flexible policies, fun activities and attractive benefits, but those alone are not enough to make them invest more of themselves in their work. Feeling recognised, valued and connected to a larger purpose has become far more important.Without that sense of meaning, positive workplace experiences are no longer translating into higher commitment.LEADERSHIP HAS BECOME THE DIFFERENCEThe report identifies leadership as the biggest factor separating organisations that continue to inspire employees from those struggling with falling motivation.It finds that companies with stronger leadership experiences around care and inspiration perform better across key outcomes such as retention, recruitment, customer service, agility and discretionary effort.As AI reshapes workplaces and routine tasks become increasingly automated, the report argues that leaders can no longer rely on perks alone. Employees are more likely to give extra effort when they believe their work matters, their contributions are recognised and their leaders genuinely listen.The biggest challenge for companies today may no longer be making work more enjoyable. It may be making work feel meaningful again.- EndsPublished On: Jul 25, 2026 13:15 IST