Nebel Crowhurst
At Reward Gateway | Edenred, we’re delighted to announce the launch of our newest report, The Appreciation Index. This study marks the next step in our mission to harness and fuel the power of employee appreciation.
In our recent Economic Value Study, we explored how to configure employee experience solutions to support the current needs of employees and drive business performance at the same time. In this latest report, however, we’ve turned our focus to examining the impact that feelings of appreciation have in support of these needs, and how organisations can drive appreciation within their workforce.
We’ve compiled this report from the findings of our latest research, conducted with the goal of creating a specialised tool that measures and benchmarks appreciation across markets, sectors and companies. Our newly developed Appreciation Index offers companies a dependable standard to identify key areas for enhancing the employee experience and, consequently, driving organisational success.
The study involved utilising the Implicit Response Test (IRT) to deliver reliable and actionable insights, we surveyed over 3,300 global employees (1,040 in the UK, 1,060 in the U.S. and 1,252 in Australia).
You can download the Appreciation Index today to explore our findings in full, while we’ve also compiled some of the key headlines to takeaway:
Appreciation is crucial
Our global research uncovered the clear and positive effects of appreciation on individuals and organisations, which included:
- Higher levels of employee engagement and job satisfaction
- Increased productivity levels
- Upskilling opportunities are more likely to be pursued and additional responsibility taken on
- Reduced labour turnover
Employees who feel valued, are supported by colleagues and managers and derive a sense of purpose from their role not only perform better, but also feel a stronger connection to their work.
They treat colleagues more positively, encourage collaboration and actively contribute to the company’s overall vision. In essence, they reciprocate because appreciation appreciates.
This research confirms a crucial yet often overlooked insight, that fostering a culture of appreciation is now a strategic necessity and can help organisations to strengthen their workforce and achieve superior outcomes.
The UK is lagging behind the US and Australia
The Appreciation Index scores across countries revealed that UK employees generally feel less appreciated, with a score of 61.8 out of 100, than the rest of the world with a global score of 65. In fact, the UK workforce feels notably less valued than its peers in the U.S. (66.3) and Australia (66.8).
This gap represents a substantial opportunity for UK businesses, with our research pointing deeper to a need for targeted appreciation strategies, especially for women, entry-level employees and those in larger organisations.
We've uncovered the top 5 drivers of employee appreciation
Understanding the power of appreciation is one thing, but being able to implement a programme and iniaitvies within your organisation that foster these feelings is another.
Fortunately, our research has uncovered the top appreciation drivers for UK employees, which are:
#1 I am recognised by managers
#2 My hard work is rewarded
#3 I feel I belong here
#4 My managers support me
#5 My organisation praises me
Discover more about these drivers and how to implement and unlock their potential within your organisation in a recording of our recent webinar.
The road to appreciation is through the employee experience
Interestingly, we discovered that these drivers were not linked to demographics, material rewards or fulfilling basic physiological and safety needs.
Instead, the strongest influencers of employee appreciation were tied to more elevated needs. These are all crucial elements of our Total Employee Experience Pyramid, a framework developed from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and importantly are above the fundamental levels of physiological and psychological needs.
These drivers were tied to employees’ self-esteem (recognition by managers, rewards for hard work), feelings of love and belonging (a sense of belonging in the workplace), and aspirations for self-actualisation (managerial support for development and praise from the organisation).
While addressing basic needs like fair compensation, benefits and job security is necessary, they are just the baseline expectations employees have from employers today. Alone, they do not cultivate a deep sense of appreciation. What truly makes our people feel valued and appreciated goes beyond material or physical considerations, it’s the more personal and human aspects of their work experience that have the most profound impact.
For UK companies aiming to gain a competitive advantage, the message is clear: Investing in appreciation is not just about securing better business outcomes, but about creating a workplace where employees are deeply engaged and motivated to excel.
Implementing insights from this report can be a crucial first step in developing a strategic roadmap for UK organisations.
At Reward Gateway | Edenred, we remain committed to exploring the area of appreciation, providing companies with even more tailored strategies that ensure effective, future-proof results for organisational success and employee wellbeing.
Download the Appreciation Index. Or speak to one of our experts today to see how we can help you unlock the power of appreciation.
