In a major blow to employers and their HR departments, most UK workers say they would not recommend their organisation as a place to work, citing poor leadership, low trust and weak communication.
Just 40 percent of employees said they would endorse their workplace, according to a 2025 Employee Pride Index, which also found that only around half of staff believe their employer is actively working to improve the employee experience.
The annual study, conducted by market research firm Savanta for business consultancy The Caffeine Partnership, surveyed 1,000 nationally representative employees and found that leadership quality remains one of the most serious barriers to pride and productivity at work.
Leadership still letting workers down
One of the most striking findings was the gulf between what workers say matters and what their employers deliver. After competitive pay, the second biggest performance gap identified by UK employees was the quality of senior leadership. While 81 percent of respondents said their organisation had a stated purpose, only 64 percent believed their colleagues acted in line with it and just 65 percent believed leaders did.
Only 53 percent of workers felt their employer’s leadership team focused on motivating people and making the company a great place to work. Half believed their leaders failed to understand what mattered to them personally.
This disconnect appears to be harming morale, trust and advocacy. The study found that 60 percent of employees would not recommend their workplace to others — a core benchmark in the Index that links pride to productivity and employee retention.
“Though it’s encouraging to see many of the scores improve this year, they’re still nowhere near where they need to be,” said Andy Milligan, co-founder of The Caffeine Partnership. “That 60% of UK workers would not recommend their employers as a place to work is again a dismal finding.”
He said the problem often stemmed from a lack of joined-up working and poor leadership behaviours: “Quality of leadership remains a problem for UK businesses. Leaders must continually focus on fostering a high level of trust, people development and recognition, clarity of shared goals and joined-up working between teams to get things done.”
Values often seen as empty words
The research also raised concerns about company values. While many organisations display values such as “respect”, “trust” or “integrity”, over 40 percent of employees said these values did not instil pride. Only 58 percent believed their company culture reflected those stated values, with similar numbers doubting whether their colleagues or leaders lived up to them.
Employees who said their organisation truly understood what mattered to them were far more likely to recommend it as a place to work. The same was true for organisations that provided an outstanding employee experience and where purpose and values were seen to be acted upon.
The link between employee pride and customer experience was also reinforced. Those who were proud to work for their employer were more likely to say their company provided excellent service and treated customers well.
AI seen as helpful, not harmful
The 2025 Index also revealed a surprisingly positive outlook on artificial intelligence. While headlines often focus on job loss fears, the survey found more employees excited by AI (39%) than fearful of it (27%).
Among employees working at companies already using AI, 78 percent said it had improved their job — up from 70 percent last year. The proportion of companies adopting AI also rose sharply, from 39 percent in 2024 to 57 percent this year.
The findings suggest that familiarity may be increasing trust in AI, especially where it is implemented in a way that supports rather than replaces workers.
Where employers must improve
The Index identifies clear priorities for employers seeking to improve retention, productivity and morale. These include:
- Investing in leadership development focused on trust, empathy and communication.
- Aligning internal communications with purpose and values in a way that is seen and felt by staff.
- Taking time to understand what matters to employees personally and building people strategies around it.
- Ensuring values are not just posters on walls but embedded in culture and behaviours at all levels.
“The link between pride and performance is clear,” Milligan said. “More companies need to up their game in investing in what matters most to people if we want to tackle our chronic productivity problem.”
Now in its fourth year, the Employee Pride Index continues to track employee sentiment across the UK. While there are small signs of improvement, the research suggests too many workplaces still fall short of providing the kind of environment employees feel proud to be part of.
