EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Third of UK employees demotivated
Nearly a third of UK employees are demotivated in their current role, according to research published by Investors in People UK.
Significantly, two-fifths are considering taking action and leaving their job in the next 12 months, with those that have been in their job for one to two years most likely to want to do so.
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The research - carried out by YouGov on behalf of Investors in People UK, the organisation that works with companies to improve their productivity - found that the top three de-motivating factors for employees were:
unreasonable workload (18% of survey respondents)
feeling underpaid (18%)
lack of clear career path (17%).
For those that have been in their role for one to two years, lack of a clear career path (24%) was the most de-motivating factor – greater than workload (17%) or pay (16%).
Other key results
Overall, 44% of employees claim their organisation has failed to continue supporting their career development beyond their initial induction period.
Over a quarter (28%) of employees also feel unsupported by their managers.
Demotivation is highest within larger companies - 39% of people in organisations of 5,000 or more say that they are either not very or not at all motivated, compared with 30% in organisations of between 50 and 250 people.
Motivation is lowest amongst public sector workers - 41% of employees say that they are either not very or not at all motivated and 44% claim to be less motivated than they were a year ago.
Employees in the public sector are also the most likely to be thinking about leaving their job - 50% say they were considering a change of job.
A final word
“This research reveals a worrying picture, not only because such a significant proportion of UK employees are demotivated, but because it suggests that valuable employees may be heading for the door. It’s also important to highlight that employees that have been with an organisation for just one to two years are most likely to want to leave, given nearly half claim their employers focus their efforts on the initial induction stage but then, as employees settle in, let employee development fall down the list of priorities.
Employees, however long they’ve worked in an organisation, want better support from their managers alongside clear and effective feedback on their performance. This support is vital when it comes to mapping out career paths and identifying relevant training and development. Without it, employees are likely to drift and depart rather than stay engaged with their organisation’s objectives.” - Simon Jones, Chief Executive at Investors in People UK.
Want to know more?
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov. Total sample size was 2,931 UK adults who work in a company/business with two employees or more. Fieldwork was undertaken between 27 September and 5 October 2007. The survey was carried out online. The figures are unweighted.
The Investors in People Standard provides a practical framework for improving business performance and competitiveness through good practice in human resource development. For more information visit www.investorsinpeople.co.uk.