UK breeds nation of undervalued employees

According to the latest Badenoch & Clark Employment Study, the UK is home to a nation of undervalued employees. Organisations are increasingly ignoring the basics of talent management, leading to a disillusioned workforce. More than a third (38%) of us feel undervalued, with one in ten (10%) convinced that their employer sees them as easily replaceable.

The trend peaks amongst 16-24 year-olds, with nearly half (48%) of them feeling undervalued. Unsurprisingly, the banking and financial services market is home to some of the nationís most disillusioned employees, with the HR profession hot on its heels. Only 57 percent in each of these sectors feel valued at all, with a worrying one in four banking professionals (22%) feeling that theyíre easily replaceable.

Two key factors seems to be driving the trend – a job market swollen with candidates, and employers that are focussing on business critical issues at the expense of basic good talent management practices. The result is a talent market that is becoming increasingly commoditised.

Neil Wilson, managing director of Badenoch & Clark, comments: ìOur Employment Study provides a snapshot of the nationís workforce. The results from this edition paint a gloomy picture of nervous employees, looking over their shoulders and feeling distinctly undervalued by their employers. At a time when organisations need to be getting the most out of their people, this should make for alarming reading.

ìMany will feel that, with so many people in the job market at the moment, they can afford to ignore a certain amount of grumblings from their own people. An ëeveryone is replaceableí mentality could easily persist.

ìIn truth, the opposite is true. Yes, there are a lot of candidates on the market, but itís taking employers even longer to find the right people to fill roles. Each vacancy is attracting more applicants, and the recruitment process is elongating for many, so the time it takes to replace people is increasing.

ìIn that context, itís more important than ever that employers work to motivate their people. Making them feel valued and invested in the business will go a long way to getting the most out of them. If someone feels their employer recognises and supports their contributions, theyíre much more likely to go the extra mile when needed.

ìUnless action is taken to reverse this trend, the British office could be a very anxious place indeed. The danger for employers that ignore these figures is that theyíll lose their best people as soon as a better opportunity comes along; something few organisations can afford to do.î