Nearly half of India’s workforce views poor management and workplace culture as a key reason to consider a job change, with compensation emerging as the second-biggest trigger, according to a Genius HRTech Limited report released on 18 October 2026 that surveyed 1,255 employees across sectors in September.
The report found that 47% of respondents cited poor management or workplace culture as a core reason for weighing a shift, while 30% pointed to compensation below market expectations. On retention, 39% of respondents said they would be more likely to stay with their current employer if offered better management, a healthier workplace culture or greater flexibility.
The data reinforces a shift in how Indian employees are weighing offers, with cultural and managerial factors increasingly outranking pay as the first trigger for mobility, even in a market where salary growth remains a core attraction.
The release of the Genius HRTech report comes amid broader signals of workforce churn in India. Separate studies released this year by other research firms have flagged elevated intent-to-switch levels among Gen Z employees, frontline managers and knowledge workers, with workplace culture, managerial behaviour and career visibility emerging as recurring themes.
Industry context sharpens the signal. India’s IT, BFSI, FMCG and manufacturing sectors have simultaneously been scaling AI adoption, redeploying backend roles and tightening performance frameworks. The Genius HRTech data suggests that unless these transitions are matched with improvements in managerial capability and workplace culture, employers risk losing core talent to competitors offering a better everyday experience.
The report said career decisions are not driven by salary alone and that factors such as poor management or workplace culture also play a key role for employees considering a job change, framing culture and leadership as structural levers for Indian HR teams planning their FY27 retention strategies.
