34% do not feel inspired to perform at their best at work

Claire McCartney

More than a third (34%) of respondents do not feel inspired by their organisation to perform at their best at work, according to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Halogen Software.

The Spring 2016 employee outlook: employee views on working life report, which surveyed 2,029 UK employees, also found that job satisfaction has decreased in all sectors, with net job satisfaction now ranked at +40 compared to +48 in autumn 2015.

The research also found:

  • 37% of respondents feel under excessive pressure at work at least once a week.
  • 31% of respondents come home from work exhausted.
  • More than two-thirds (67%) of respondents feel their manager is considerate of their wellbeing, and 58% believe their employer is considerate of their wellbeing.
  • Less than a quarter (24%) respondents think their employer supports employees’ mental health fairly well, and 9% say they support it very well.
  • 52% of respondents are either not very or not at all confident about disclosing unmanageable stress or mental health problems to their employer.
  • 41% of respondents are satisfied with their pay, and 36% are dissatisfied.

Claire McCartney (pictured), research adviser, resourcing and talent planning at  the CIPD, said: “Employee motivation at work seems to be lacking, with almost as many disagreeing as agreeing that ‘this organisation inspires the very best of me in the way of job performance’. There has also been an increase in the number of employees believing that their performance management processes are somewhat or not at all fair.

“These findings point to the importance of quality communication and consultation with employees around the things that matter. They also underline the importance of redefining our approaches to job design and career management to better suit modern organisations and modern employees.”

Dominique Jones, chief people officer at Halogen Software, added: “Employers must work in partnership with employees to align the needs of the organisation with those of the individual, so that the business can function effectively and produce great results. HR plays a critical role here in supporting line managers, guiding them and providing them with the right tools to enable them to listen, measure and act on employee needs.”