Marvin OnumonuA fifth (19%) of UK workers said they had never been thanked by their employer for a specific achievement, according to research from Moonpig for business.
More than half (51%) did not feel valued at work, while 53% said lack of recognition affected their motivation.
59% said they would consider leaving if their hard work went unnoticed.
The top ways workers wanted to be recognised were a financial reward (71%), a promotion (66%), or a private thank you from a manager (65%).
65% said a simple card or note would also make them feel valued.
20% said their birthday had never been acknowledged at work, while a third said their work anniversaries had never been celebrated.
20% said they had seen a colleague recognised for similar work when they were not.
9% had received a card with their name spelt wrong, while 8% had been left out of a group thank-you card.
Nickyl Raithatha (pictured), CEO at Moonpig, said: “Moonpig for business started during Covid when we used our own personalised card service to recognise our employees and keep them connected.
“We saw how powerful it was, so we automated the process, and it very quickly became clear that the need for this was bigger than us. In a busy hybrid world, business leaders struggle to make employees feel genuinely seen.
“We saw the impact from our efforts first-hand and our research backs it up: employees crave simple, everyday recognition.”
Raithatha added: “We built Moonpig for business to make that process effortless for businesses also – one single platform for personalised cards and gifts that makes recognition simple, timely and scalable, helping companies to build stronger relationships with their teams.”
Laura Dixon, people director at Moonpig, said: “Recognition doesn’t need to be complicated to be meaningful.
“Remembering birthdays, work anniversaries, or simply acknowledging everyday effort can have a huge impact on morale.
“The key is making people feel seen and appreciated for what they do.”
