Employee motivation in the UK and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions has declined for three consecutive years, according to research by employee experience and people analytics platform provider Culture Amp.
Its analysis of its latest benchmark data, based on 22,594 responses from 2,806 employers worldwide, found that the top three global drivers of motivation for employees are: knowing they can develop at their current organisation, leaders communicating a motivating vision, and having confidence in leaders.
Almost seven in 10 (69%) respondents said they feel appropriately recognised, while 60% believe the right people are rewarded, marking a five-year low.
Employee agreement that performance reviews accurately reflect their impact has dropped from 77% in 2022 to 70% in 2024. While 87% understand what is needed to be successful in their role, only 76% know how to be a high performer, a gap that has widened by 3% in the last year.
The research also found that engagement in the UK has continued to decline, dropping 1% to 65%. UK drivers of engagement have remained largely the same, with 68% believing their organisation to be great for helping to make a contribution to their development, which is unchanged from 2024.
Meanwhile, the percentage of respondents who believe that leadership demonstrating people are important to the organisation’s success is key to engagement has dropped by 1% to 64%.
Arne Sjostrom, regional director of people science at Culture Amp EMEA, said: “Our latest data confirms a concerning trend, employee motivation continues to decline. Despite the stability in commitment scores, leaders who believe they have the situation under control may be misled. Motivation is closely linked to productivity, and if organisations fail to adapt, they risk experiencing a great resignation 2.0, with talent leaving as soon as new opportunities arise.
“To combat this trend, leaders have to act now. They need to recognise employees’ contributions, invest in their development, including on-the-job-learning, and engage them with a compelling vision for the future and a clear path forward.”
