Can't get no satisfaction | Only half of UK employees are happy at work

Only half of (51%) British employees surveyed say they are frequently happy at work, while a quarter (25%) do not often feel valued, according to new research.

The findings come from Reward Gateway | Edenred’s Bridging the ROI Gap Report, which explores the four key employee trends for businesses to consider in the next year.

As 2025 draws to a close, this poses significant challenges for businesses in the New Year as the report reveals a clear link between under-appreciated employees, low morale and productivity. Despite this, only 58% of employers are currently tracking motivation and productivity, posing a risk to their bottom line. This is especially pertinent as 74% of employees stated that they were more productive when they feel supported.

The research found that 25% of employees often don’t feel appreciated, while 22%2 of employees often don’t feel valued in their workplace. This rises with age, as over a third (35%2) of those aged 55+ say they often don’t feel appreciated and 30%2 saying they often don’t feel valued. 

A major driver of this could be because emotional wellbeing simply isn’t high on the list of priorities when it comes to employees - while 66% of HR managers surveyed who track support and wellbeing regularly measure the relationship between this emotional capital metric and business outcomes, over half (53%) of those who track employee happiness regularly measure the relationship between employee happiness and business outcomes.