Millions of UK workers ready to quit over feeling undervalued
More than six million UK workers feel unappreciated by their bosses, with 82% planning to leave their jobs, according to the latest Love2shop Employee Value Report
Print26 September 2024
Millions of UK workers who feel undervalued by their bosses are on the brink of quitting their jobs, according to a major annual study of employee happiness in the workplace.
More than six million Brits feel under appreciated by their bosses and are actively looking to leave – up a million on 2023.
And the picture does not look good for the retail sector, with more than eight in 10 (85%) workers revealing they feel undervalued in the workplace.
The third annual Love2shop Employee Value Report found that 82% of all UK workers who claim to feel undervalued were already preparing to leave their current employers.
Love2shop’s Employee Value Report asked workers across the UK how feeling valued affects their work and whether rewards and recognition have a positive impact on them.
Cost of living
And the cost of living remains a real concern for workers, with 71% stating that if they received a gift card or bonus from work they would spend it on the weekly shop, clothes or back-to-school essentials.
Lunchtime yoga, dogs in the office, pizza parties and work nights out are ineffective and reflexive gimmicks to solve issues around employee appreciation and value, according to the findings.
Instead, beyond a salary rise, workers actually want more flexible working (20%) and days off (20%), and gift cards or shopping vouchers (18%) to spend on essentials – unchanged from the last three years.
“Retail workers were just behind employees in finance in terms of the most unhappy workers in the UK,” said Frank Creighton, director of Business Development, Love2shop.
Creighton noted that employees not being acknowledged for their contribution to the business is the top reason for feeling under-appreciated, followed by feeling underpaid (33%).
He adds: “We found 29% of people feel undervalued because ‘loyalty is a one-way street’ – meaning they feel employers demand their loyalty but will axe their jobs without a second thought. A quarter of people also cited the lack of a simple ‘thank you’ as a significant problem.”
Employment crisis
As well as the increase in unhappy workers generally this year, the survey also found that the looming employment crisis in education and health refuses to go away despite recent pay settlements.
It revealed 74% of education workers and 71% of healthcare professionals are considering leaving their professions due to feeling undervalued.
It is also reflected in the private sector where 89% of finance workers and 85% of retail workers are also seeking ways to leave.
This year the survey found that Northern Ireland has the happiest workers in the UK, with Belfast the happiest city.
While unhappiness grew in last year’s worst performing city – Liverpool – it was eclipsed by Plymouth, where over a third – 36% of workers – said they felt underappreciated at work.
“Employee expectations have changed. If businesses do not change with them, they may very soon find themselves falling behind,” concludes Creighton.
Love2shop’s expert team has helped more than 150,000 businesses create effective reward and engagement strategies for more than 50 years.
Read more: Half of workers say they will only apply for flexible or working from home jobs – Indeed
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