High stress and low recognition leaves employees feeling unloved at work

Almost a third of UK employees (31%) can’t remember when their performance was last recognised by their employer, and the vast majority of workers have been distracted by stress at work in the past year (82%). Over half (57%) work in a company without a coherent system of benefits and perks, with a similar proportion (55%) indicating that their company doesn’t communicate its core values well.

The research, conducted LifeWorks, the company that makes your employees feel loved shows the extent to which UK employees feel overlooked and under-appreciated at work, and warns of the potential risks to business this lack of engagement presents.

The ‘Feel Loved or Overlooked?’ survey, which polled 1,000 UK workers, also revealed that while younger workers, typically Generation Z (69%) and Millennials (62%), were likely to have had their performance recognised in the past month, this was not the case for nearly half (47%) of employees over the age of 35.

However, while the younger generations experienced higher levels of recognition, they also suffered the highest levels of stress, with 90% of millennials having been distracted by stress at work in the past year. A third of all those surveyed (32%) experienced stress at least regularly, including 6% who were constantly distracted by stress in the past year.

When asked what benefit incentive would be most valued, the majority of employees (65%) expressed a desire to receive paid time off, with others suggesting retail discounts (21%) or access to an employee wellness programme (12%) would improve their experience at work. Despite this, only 43% of employees were offered a perks or benefits system and, of those, less than half (46%) had used it within the last month. A third (32%) could not remember the system log-in details to access their benefits programmes, meaning that even where perks systems were available, they were largely underused.

“Employees in the UK are faced with increasing levels of stress in the workplace, but for the majority, no system is being put in place to reward their hard work”, said Jamie True, CEO of LifeWorks. “Though workers are clear on what would help them feel appreciated, employers aren’t putting the measures in place to ensure their staff stay well, engaged and productive. When the most valuable resource – the workforce – isn’t protected and prioritised, it is not only people, but businesses that are put at risk”.

Research findings also revealed a strong interest (47%) in the use of mobile apps to improve company communication, especially as almost half of respondents (46%) already use a mobile app as a part of their working day.

“It’s encouraging to see that so many employees welcome the idea of a mobile platform to help improve their day to day experience”, continued True. “It’s certainly something that our customers have found to be an invaluable engagement tool when it comes to making employees feel loved, and we hope to see more businesses following suit”.