New research says employee motivation levels are on the decline with 29% saying they aren’t motivated
A new research report, “Living to Work”, has shown employee motivation levels are on the decline. 29% of employees surveyed said they were not motivated at work in 2017 compared to just 18% who said the same in 2016.
Reward and Recognition experts, Motivates Inc. Ltd, has commissioned its employee motivation research for the past three years, surveying over 2,000 UK employees in full-time employment.
The full data shows like-for-like how employees are feeling in the workplace and what hygiene factors have affected behaviours year-on-year.
Are you motivated at work?
2017 – 71% Responded Yes with 29% responding No
2016 – 82% Responded Yes with 18% responding No
2015 – 72% Responded Yes with 28% responding No
Bill Alexander, Chairman at Motivates, comments:
“71% of UK employees were motivated in 2017. The figure on its own shows a positive result, yet when you reflect on the motivational statistics from 2016 the data actually shows the percentage of motivated employees has dropped by 11% in just one year. That’s 220 more employees in an organisation of 2,000 who are not feeling good about their job. Now that’s a figure to worry about.”
To determine what affected motivational levels in the workplace last year, employees were asked to list the things they did and didn’t find motivating.
The top five answers were:
What motivated you at work in 2017? What didn’t motivate you at work in 2017? (Top 5)
1. I have a good work life balance
2. I have great peers
3. My boss is good at saying thank you
4. The office environment
5. I have a motivating manager
What didn’t motivate you at work in 2017? (Top 5)
1. I have no career progression
2. My company doesn’t give regular recognition
3. I don’t have a good work life balance
4. Poor processes and technology
5. My work doesn’t challenge me
“When we think of motivating our employees it’s easy to consider quick wins, like bonuses and a pay rise, to get employees feeling happy and engaged again. However, the research shows companies need to think less about money and more about personal appreciation and creating an environment that encourages happiness and well-being in the workplace.
People are getting satisfaction from a good work life balance, working with great peers, and a manager who shows their appreciation with reward, recognition and a thank you,” says Alexander.
Continuing to explore the extrinsic and intrinsic benefits, employees were asked whether they chose their job based on salary. Three times as many employees did not choose their job based on salary in 2017 compared to 2016 (19% in 2017 compared to 6% in 2016). And when asked what would motivate them to do well in their job more than their basic salary, the top 5 answers were:
1. A feeling of satisfaction
2. General work enjoyment
3. Job security
4. Incentives and rewards
5. Working as part of a team
“When it comes to finding ways to motivate employees, employers’ need to understand that working the traditional 9am to 5pm grind to earn a living is becoming a thing of the past. People are allowing their jobs to shape their lives and are even basing life satisfaction on how well they’re doing in their career and how happy they are at work – not just at home. Employees see the value in benefits that are going to make a change to how they feel, not only a change to their bank balance.
Challenge them, notice them, and allow them a good amount of personal time so they don’t burn out. We used to work to live and now it seems we’re living to work,” concludes Alexander.
Additional Information
The full “Employee Motivation 2018: Living to Work” report can be downloaded by Clicking Here
Motivates Inc. Ltd deliver imaginative motivation, reward, recognition, incentive, customer loyalty, events and travel solutions. Everything we do is designed to help you show the great people in your world just how much you value them.
Using our leading and trusted products, high street vouchers, online point schemes, scratch card campaigns, and on-pack promotions we bring your motivation strategy to life.
At Motivates we create bespoke campaigns that offer a variety of choice and flexibility tailored to align with your business goals and drive performance.
For additional information on Motivates Inc visit their Website
The research was conducted among 2,000 UK employees in April 2018. An independent research agency ran the survey.
