Jessica O'ConnorJust 51% of UK employees said they are frequently happy at work, according to new findings from Reward Gateway | Edenred’s Bridging the ROI Gap Report.
The research indicated that a quarter of employees often feel unappreciated, while 22% said they frequently feel unvalued.
These figures rose significantly among older workers, with 35% of employees aged 55 and over reporting they do not often feel appreciated and 30% saying they do not often feel valued.
The report draws a connection between under-appreciation, low morale and reduced productivity.
Despite this, only 58% of employers said they track motivation and productivity, even though 74% of employees said they are more productive when they feel supported.
Emotional wellbeing also appears to be under-measured.
While 66% of HR managers who track support and wellbeing monitored how it relates to business outcomes, just over half (53%) of those tracking employee happiness measured its relationship to performance.
Suzanna Kemal, head of HR at Reward Gateway | Edenred, said: “The link between happiness and productivity is undeniable, and it’s essential that businesses and HR teams recognise this.
“With almost half of the UK workforce feeling generally unhappy in their place of work, the country is losing out on the creativity, determination and resilience found in a thriving workplace.
“It’s not just happiness that needs to be tracked, but wellbeing overall. Businesses need to take stock of absenteeism, performance and participation, as well as assess emotional capital metrics like happiness and enthusiasm through pulse surveys and one-to-one communications.
“Without taking these tangible measures, organisations will only fall behind and have their workforce move onto greener pastures without them.”
