Most workers feel their hard work in 2020 has gone unappreciated by their job

NEW YORK — What’s the secret to keeping employees satisfied, fulfilled, and productive? According to a new survey of 2,000 American workers, a simple “thank you” every once in a while may just be enough. Over half the poll (58%) say they’ve been working harder than ever in 2020, but will start to slack off soon if they don’t receive some genuine gratitude from their employer.

Similarly, over half of respondents say they haven’t been given any recognition at all from their job since they started working remotely in 2020. Why do so many workers feel like their owed extra gratitude this year? Well, seven in 10 say they’ve worked harder than ever before during the coronavirus pandemic.

Commissioned by Motivosity, the survey reveals three-quarters of working Americans believe their mental health would improve greatly if their boss or supervisor showed just a little bit more appreciation. Moreover, 70 percent say on-the-job appreciation means the most when it comes from a manager or supervisor.

Being unappreciated can lead to being unproductive

A lack of recognition eventually leads to unmotivated employees, as 68 percent of remote workers add they’re no longer interested in working hard because everything they do goes unnoticed anyway. Among that group, 29 percent plan to only do what’s expected of them moving forward. Another 26 percent are going to take their sweet time completing tasks.

When participants were asked what they would like to hear specifically from their superiors, the top answer was “thank you!” (34%), followed by “I appreciate you doing that” (32%), “that was helpful (28%), “your time is valuable” (27%), and “you went above expectations on this” (25%). Other popular answers include, “how are you doing?” (24%), “I know how busy you are” (21%), “this was really well done work” (19%), and “that’s exactly what we hoped you’d do” (16%).

“Companies know that the mental health of their teams has become a significant concern. More than 74% of employees indicated that their mental health is tied to how well they feel appreciated at work. Successful employers will have a meaningful plan to address that,” says Motivosity founder Scott Johnson in a statement.

Household chores are hard work too!

Of course, a little bit of gratitude goes a long way outside of the (virtual) office as well. Half of Americans feel like everything they do around the house goes unnoticed too. Sixty-three percent think they do all the chores and no one cares. More specifically, 44 percent would like more recognition from their kids. Meanwhile, 41 percent wish their spouse was more appreciative and 33 percent would like more gratitude from friends.

Regarding specific chores, two in five say they never get “credit” for doing the laundry. Another 40 percent say they always end up cleaning the bathroom. Others expressed frustration about constant grocery store trips (37%) and trips to gas up the family car (33%).

It’s astounding the power a simple “thank you” can have; as four in five respondents say that just knowing their appreciated would be huge for their mental health.

While close to half of respondents say words are enough when it comes to appreciation, another 39 percent wouldn’t mind a small gift every once in a while too. A third want acknowledgment in front of others and 28 percent would take cash as a thank you gift as well.

This survey was conducted by OnePoll.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *