A new study from global employee engagement company, Reward Gateway, has found that over seven in ten UK employees want their employers to do more to motivate them.
The research, which surveyed over 2,000 UK employees, found that the less motivated an employee is, the more likely they are to value their salary as a motivator. In the UK, those that are not very motivated in their current job are most likely to say that they’re motivated by their salary (41 per cent), good working relationships (37 per cent), having a purpose (21 per cent).
Whereas, those who class themselves as extremely motivated in their current job are most likely to say that they’re motivated by job satisfaction (52 per cent), feeling respected (37 per cent), having a purpose (37 per cent) and good working relationships (37 per cent).
The research has also uncovered the alarming effects that being unmotivated has on employees. The top five effects being:
- Mood worsens (60 per cent)
- Reduction in productivity levels (48 per cent)
- Declining mental health (46 per cent)
- Reduction in quality of work (40 per cent)
- Diet suffers (28 per cent)
Meanwhile, over a quarter (26 per cent) say their relationships with family and friends suffer and 2 in 10 admit to drinking more alcohol when unmotivated.
Despite these effects, those employees that aren’t motivated indicated that they would stay in a job for 11 months, meaning that productivity and general wellbeing will suffer.
Commenting on the research, Reward Gateway’s Group Director of Product & Client Success, Rob Boland said,
“It’s clear that employers can be doing more to motivate and engage their people in the right way.
“From our research and our experience with thousands of businesses with whom we’ve worked, the companies driving the greatest commercial results are the best at addressing employee motivation. These businesses center their engagement strategies on strategically recognising their employees to boost visibility for great work, communicating openly and honestly with their employees, and surveying their people regularly to understand how to constantly improve and adapt their strategy.
“To continue to help our clients motivate and engage their workforces, we’ve worked hard to make sure our products support what today’s employees crave at work: respect, purpose, and relationships.”
For more information about the motivation study, please visit the blog here.
Rebecca joined the HRreview editorial team in January 2016. After graduating from the University of Sheffield Hallam in 2013 with a BA in English Literature, Rebecca has spent five years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past she has been part of the editorial teams at Sleeper and Dezeen and has founded her own arts collective.
- Rebecca Clarke
- Rebecca Clarke
- Rebecca Clarke
- Rebecca Clarke
