Two-thirds of workers said they feel unappreciated by their employer on a daily basis.
If you think feeling unappreciated at a job is a minor issue, think again: 63% of workers feel that way on a daily basis.
Of those polled, 29% of workers across different industries would give up a week’s worth of pay for more recognition from their boss, according to a recent survey from OnePoll done on behalf of employee reward startup Bonusly.
Out of the 2,000 American adults polled, another 65% said that they would continue working for an unappreciative boss if receiving that validation from coworkers and other colleagues.
Why Do So Many Of Us Feel Under- And Un-Appreciated?
The reasons for such sentiments at the office can come from many directions: 41% felt favoritism while 39% named lack of communication and recognition from upper management.
At the moment, the country is facing a major labor shortage — whether over pandemic concerns or in search of something better, roughly 47 million Americans quit their jobs in 2021.
While wages rose by an average of 5.7% in January as employers tried to draw workers in, the economy has not been hiring workers at the rate needed to fill the shortage.
“The Great Resignation showed us that employees want more than just a paycheck,” Bonusly CEO Raphael Crawford-Marks said in a statement. “As many companies transition toward remote work, there is an increased need to create positive interactions to build stronger connections, even if those are virtual.”
During A Labor Shortage, Under-Appreciate Employees At Your Peril
Bonusly
Employers, in turn, find themselves having to offer higher wages and perks like work-from-home flexibility in order to get the hires they want.
The Bonusly survey further found that 46% of workers have already left a job at which they felt unappreciated, while 68% said they would not want to work for a company with no advancement opportunities.
For those wondering how to make employees feel appreciated, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.
About 35% named that they would like bonuses, perks and other recognition programs, while 32% want higher compensation. Benefits, work flexibility and job security also followed close behind while, at 22%, praise from upper management is also nothing to sneeze at.
“Retention and high-performance are directly impacted by how employees feel valued and recognized at work,” Crawford-Marks said.
Work culture and emotional factors aside, recognition can have a very direct effect on the bottom line: A further 65% of survey respondents said that they would feel more motivated to work harder if they received more recognition from their bosses.
