UK workers feel underappreciated at work, survey shows

RA Now

More than half of 2,000 employees surveyed by Monster.co.uk don’t feel they feel they get thanked enough at work and feel underappreciated as a result.

Monster’s study of the employees – along with a survey of 500 employers – found that 58% don’t feel they get enough recognition and 54% don’t feel appreciated. In addition, 41% feel demotivated and the same proportion of bosses acknowledge that there are “not enough thanks in their workplace”.

Sixty three per cent of employees also said a verbal thank you is more important than a pay rise.

“People feel ‘lifted’ emotionally by their bosses, and thus feel good about themselves and perform better,” said Corinne Sweet, organisational behaviour psychologist.

“We even have raised endorphin levels, the feel-good biochemical in our bloodstreams, when we are thanked – which in turn helps boost our immune system to combat stress-related symptoms. This, in turn, can reduce absenteeism and boost office morale; so saying ‘thanks’ is, literally, worth its weight in gold.”

Andrew Sumner, managing director of Monster.co.uk in the UK and Ireland, added: “Managers may be seeing the value in saying thanks, but struggling to communicate it in a clear way to their staff.”

And Derek Irvine, vice president of client strategy and consulting at Globoforce added that businesses must not overlook the power of recognition.

“Businesses also need to consider that, while recognition from employers certainly helps increase engagement, they also need to encourage employees to recognise each other,” he added. “Peer-to-peer recognition boosts company morale that much further by enabling everyone to thank their colleagues and give them a pat on the back for a job well done – thus, creating a positive working environment where each employee automatically feels more engaged, not just with their employer, but with everyone else they work with.”