Qualitative research among employees in the U.K. and India highlights shifts in rhythms and rituals

Editor’s note: Richard Smith is director at U.K-based firm Cappuccino Research. Anindita Banerjee is director at Meta4sight, India. 

In this article we compare and contrast qualitative data from India and the U.K. collected using the ZMET approach, in which metaphor and imagery are key to better understanding how people really think. In both countries, office workers were interviewed during a period of lockdown and were asked to share their experiences.

What makes a great piece of music?

We’re not musicologists, but we know a little about what distinguishes a musical masterpiece from a dirge. And there are some essential elements:

• Structure – classic sonata form or chorus, verse, chorus.
• Rhythm – including changes of pace to convey variations in emotion or some other dimension.
• Harmonic structures – including notes from different instruments. 

These elements combine to make a piece of music feel satisfying and whole. Take one away and you are left with musical mush.

What does this have to do with qualitative research?

Metaphorically speaking, lockdown interrupted the “music of life” for employees around the world. Our research shows that while the experience was not entirely a negative one, the removal of structure, rhythm and harmony left office workers feeling more than a little off key.

The structural breakdown of the work week

The restrictions experienced during lockdown made drawing a distinction between a Friday and a Sunday more difficult. During the early stages, the range of leisure and social activities permissible over the weekend was severely curtailed. But in both the U.K. and India, office workers felt that it was important to try and retain boundaries between work time and leisure time.

“Time just blurs into one and so suddenly you're dead. There's no distinction in your day between your life and your work. And time, time just passes by and you kind of almost have no idea what day of the week it is and what time of day it is … your home is your work. And so it feels like there's never a cut off.” Female respondent, U.K.

“I like clear segregation between the days, i.e., weekdays and weekends. Even now, during the pandemic, I do not want a Sunday to feel like a Monday. So, the first thing that I personally do is not to open my office laptop on a Saturday or Sunday. I will finish everything by Friday evening. I sometimes log in early on Friday morning so that I can finish in time.” Female respondent, India

“And that, for me, is encapsulated by on a Friday evening, at around about five o'clock, pouring myself a beer, shutting my computer down. And basically, that is my end of week ritual. Right. And from that point on, I am, it's the weekend. And even now even in lockdown, I still get a different feel at the weekend than I do during the week. I've been very careful to make sure that my work doesn't encroach into my real free time.” Male respondent, U.K.

“Failure to observe these boundaries, even if by choice, started to feel uncomfortable: I had clearly marked work day and off day. And one knew how to deal with these two times individually. But now, I’m in a state where there is no separate work day time and off work time. I'm now working on proposals on Sunday morning and spending two hours watching a web series on Tuesday morning. This loss of routine unnerves me.” Male respondent, India 

For some, the blurring between work time and leisure meant that it was difficult to take a genuine pause from work, which became exhausting over time.

“Hunger for that (an off work day) is less because you have some of it every day. I don't particularly like the continuum. It somehow gets you into a process where you're not able to take a pause.” Male respondent, India 

Workers were experiencing a lack of structure, like a song consisting of an eight-bar intro that continues endlessly and never quite makes it into the verse.

The breakdown of the working day rhythm

The absence of commuting was initially celebrated in both countries. Commuting was a “thief of time.” It made the working day feel too rigid. Commuting could be exhausting and frustrating.

But over time, office workers noticed that without commuting there was no clear break between home and work.

“Like a treadmill – it's always on the move. You can adjust the speed. Increases your rate of activity. But while you're there, you can’t really get off.” Male respondent, India 

“Actually the commute really broke up the day. It meant that there was this very clear distinction between your home life and your work life. And actually, I started trying to go for a walk in the morning before I would sit down at my desk to almost kind of recreate a commute and then at 6 p.m., Chris and I would, at 6:30 at night or whenever we finished, we would try and go for a walk then as well to sort of mark the end of the day. Because it felt important to clear your head and, and just separate the two worlds.” Female respondent, U.K. 

“One realized that these five days went away like a whoosh and suddenly the weekend was there. I felt that the pace was slow and fast at the same time. It was slow because there was nothing much to do and fast because routines got set pretty quickly and passage of time became fast.” Male respondent, India

The lack of variation in pace made each day feel like the last, each hour like the one before. Returning to our musical metaphor, it was like a seemingly endless minimalist piece that subtly ebb and flow, never quite arriving at an emotional climax.

The loss of harmony – social rituals and workplace interactions

In both countries, office workers felt that they were being somewhat exploited by their employers.

Commute time – and, increasingly, free time – was replaced by work duties. Particularly during the first lockdowns for both countries, video-conference meetings proliferated, reducing the time available to perform other tasks and forcing overtime. 

In the U.K., the switch from face-to-face to virtual was initially less problematic than in India. Over time U.K. employers realized how tiring artificial environments could be and started to restrict use.

In India, this switch was felt more keenly due to its cultural impact. Suddenly, the space for small talk and relationship building was limited. Meetings and conversations started and finished abruptly. If it wasn’t said within the meeting, then it didn’t happen.

It also affected the communal lunch break tradition in India, and walking to and from the cafeteria with colleagues was eliminated.

“I was missing my walk back from work with my colleague and friend. Both of us shared our day and unburdened ourselves. Then we didn’t feel alone.” Female respondent, India 

In the U.K., while participants said watercooler moments and tea breaks were keenly missed.

Hierarchy is a third cultural dimension that was impacted. For example, in India, there is an expectation from leaders that they have access to their workforce anytime and anywhere:

“The days, weeks or months have all merged to form a continuum. My work day is never ending and people (especially bosses) expect me to answer e-mails or attend virtual meetings even when I'm at the supermarket queue.” Male respondent, India 

In the U.K., working structures have become much more flat and less hierarchical. These days it’s unusual for a CEO not to be called by their first name by the office junior.

The emergence of new musical forms

Our conversations with office workers took place while there was still considerable uncertainty about what any new normal might look like. And as we write this article, that uncertainty persists.

Those with families tended to talk about the emergence or (perceived) re-emergence of routines and rituals around family life that they felt were positive. These included shared meals, more time with children (particularly for fathers) and generally greater engagement and togetherness.

The hope was that these harmonic elements would continue into the future.

But there was a sense of yearning for more structure and this was making people feel insecure and nervous about the future. And there was also a yearning for a greater variety of pace. Mental health challenges, including depression, were (and continue to be) a concern as work from home felt very one paced.

Researching new rhythms and rituals 

This research highlights broader societal challenges as well as challenges for businesses.

It’s true that the five-day working week is a construct and a relatively recent one at that in human terms (it’s about 100 years old). But across the world, workers have become accustomed to the rhythms and rituals associated with this way of life. An increased volume and frequency of working from home has brought an interruption to those rhythms and rituals.

While office workers represent a significant proportion of the workforce, other sectors and types of work have undergone even more disruption during the pandemic. That said, many of these (retail, catering and entertainment) are somewhat reliant on office workers as customers, particularly in cities.

It will be interesting to see if we adapt to new rhythms and rituals or if pre-pandemic ways are so entrenched within the psyche of our nations that they inevitably make a comeback.

Wondering where we got our musical inspiration from? 

While the ZMET approach typically focuses on images that are found by respondents to express their thoughts and feelings, there is an exercise which is often included in a project (particularly, but not exclusively where foods or experiences are involved) where respondents are asked to use their other senses: sound (or music), taste, touch or smell.

In India, participants were asked to describe sounds or music that for them represented working from home and working from the office.

Working from home:

• “WFH would be soothing music birdsong.” Male respondent, India 
• “Something calmer, like acoustic or jazz.” Male respondent, India 
• “Tribal songs of Nepal” Male respondent, India 
• “WFH is the absence of sound. You have more gentle, distant murmurs.” Female respondent, India 

Working from the office:

• “WFO would be energetic noisy rock music. It has got a rhythm which gets you moving automatically even if you don't want to.” Male respondent, India 
• “WFO was Metallica. It has lot of rhythm and energy.” Male respondent, India 
• “WFO is like a drumbeat. It sets a pace and forces you to follow that beat.” Male respondent, India 
• “WFO is like Bollywood music. Because there's just too many things like different people, colors, voices and sounds all demanding your attention.” Male respondent, India