43% UK Workforce Undervalued – More than 43% of employees recently surveyed by Intrafocus in the United Kingdom feel undervalued and unrecognised at work.
In a survey conducted through the mobile phone application Citizenme, 120 people were asked 5 simple questions related to recognition in the workplace. Although this is a very small sample, the results are consistent with much larger surveys run in the past by recruitment agencies such as Monster.
The survey linked the attention managers give to their staff and how staff felt about their jobs. By cross-referencing the answers to questions like ‘How many times a week does your manager talk to you?’ to the base question ‘Do you feel valued at work?’ there were both obvious and surprising results.
“The survey was notable on two counts” observed Clive Keyte, Director at Intrafocus. “First, the speed and ease at which the survey population could be reached. The Citizenme app provoked an almost instantaneous response. This was a very small sample, but we suspect we would have the same reaction with a much larger audience. And second, it is clear UK employers do not appear to be learning from past mistakes and are not engaging employees effectively.”
The survey shows that there is a direct correlation between a manager’s engagement with an employee and how valued they feel at work. It is a basic 101 management principle that the most effective tool a manager has is to simply talk to their staff. Yet the survey revealed that 35% employees were ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ spoken to during the week. Of the employees that were ‘never’ spoken to, a massive 65% feel undervalued.
Conversely, of those employees that are actively engaged in determining a company’s future, 59% feel they are valued and a further 31% feel happy most of the time. This is a clear indication that when employees are given the opportunity to contribute at a meaningful level, their perception of personal worth rises significantly. It also helps in efforts to communicate your strategy.
“We have long held the view that engaging people on the ground floor, or subject matter experts, to help determine a company’s strategy has massive benefits” explains Keyte “not only does it provide expertise and experience directly related to operations, it creates evangelists amid the workforce.”
Another positive example can be seen when looking at what happens when employees make suggestions to management. Of those people who said their manager listened and acted upon a suggestion, more than 80% said they felt valued or happy most of the time at work. This is another management 101 principle, listen to your staff and make sure they see you take them seriously, whatever they say.
The five questions asked in the survey were:
- How many times a week does your manager talk to you?
- How often do you have an appraisal/assessment?
- Are you involved in your company’s strategy/direction?
- Do you feel valued at work?
- What happens when you make suggestions at work?
If you would like a copy of the final report, 43% UK Workforce Undervalued, please contact us through the Intrafocus Contact Form on the website.
