The Top Three Demotivators in the Workplace: A Lack of Recognition, Feeling Invisible or Undervalued, and Bad Managers

• Over seven in ten (72%) employees say their employers could do more to motivate them
• The number one driver of motivation in the long term is being shown appreciation for hard work
• Lack of motivation impacts both performance and mental health

A new study from global employee engagement company, Reward Gateway, has found that over seven in ten employees want their employers to do more to motivate them.

The research, which surveyed 6,025 employees across the UK, U.S. and Australia, revealed that when asked about their feelings towards their current job, over half of employees agreed that it just ‘pays the bills’ (54%), whereas only 23% agreed that they work in in a great place with a challenging and exciting role.

The top reasons for employees feeling demotivated are: feeling invisible or undervalued (43%), having a bad manager (43%) and lack of recognition (40%).

The research further uncovered the alarming effects that being unmotivated has on employees. The top five being:

• A decline in mood (worsens) (62%)
• A reduction in productivity levels (49%)
• A decline in mental health (48%)
• A reduction in quality of work (39%)
• A decline in the quality of diet (30%)

Despite these effects, those employees that aren’t motivated indicated that they would stay in the job for nine months to a year, meaning that productivity and general wellbeing will suffer. Gallup estimates global businesses lose approximately $7 trillion each year due to lack of motivation. It's not just individual employees bearing the brunt of being unmotivated, but businesses, too. 

For those with more favorable opinions of their workplaces, according to respondents, the number one reason why people were motivated in their current workplace was because of good working relationships with team members (44%). Meanwhile, to remain motivated in the long term, respondents stated that they would like to be shown appreciation for hard work (42%).

Commenting on the research, Reward Gateway's Group Director of Product & Client Success, Rob Boland said, “It's clear that employers can be doing more to motivate and engage their people in the right way.

“From our research and our experience with thousands of businesses with whom we’ve worked, the companies driving the greatest commercial results are the best at addressing employee motivation. These businesses center their engagement strategies on strategically recognizing their employees to boost visibility for great work, communicating openly and honestly with their employees, and surveying their people regularly to understand how to constantly improve and adapt their strategy.

"To continue to help our clients motivate and engage their workforces, we’ve worked hard to make sure our products support what today’s employees crave at work: respect, purpose, and relationships."