ONLY 17% OF EMPLOYEES FEEL LIKE GOING TO WORK EACH DAY

Posted on 19th January 2025

As part of My Whole Self - the campaign for workplace culture change – social enterprise MHFA England® is calling on employers to get to know their people better to help improve employee wellbeing and boost productivity.

New research from Mental Health First Aid England® reveals that only 17% of employees feel motivated to go to work each day. 1 in 10 employees say they never feel inspired by their job, and less than a quarter (23%) feel enthusiastic daily.

MHFA England’s latest research, among 2,000 employees, shows a significant number of workers feel a lack of inspiration and enthusiasm at work. While ‘Blue Monday’ is often billed as the ‘most depressing’ day of the year, the reality is poor mental health and low workplace engagement can affect anyone, at any time.

These figures highlight just how important it is for employers to get to know their people. By taking time to understand your workforce - who they are and what drives them – employers can build cultures where employees are engaged, valued and performing at their best.

The research also reveals junior managers are more likely to be unhappy and demotivated at work compared to their colleagues. 1 in 5 (19%) junior managers say they don’t feel appreciated for the work they do and 22% say they never feel inspired by their job. Only 4% of junior managers say they are bursting with energy at work each day. If managers are feeling undervalued, what hope is there for their teams? This dissatisfaction points to a systemic need for workplaces to change their approach.

To empower workplaces to better support and motivate their people MHFA England has published My Whole Self: My plan for working well. It is a personal, proactive tool to help employees and managers identify what keeps them and their colleagues working well.

Sarah McIntosh, Chief Executive of MHFA England, said “We all have days when we’re feeling less inspired and motivated at work, but MHFA England’s latest research shows that for many employees, especially junior managers, this is happening too often, and it is impacting our energy levels, wellbeing and performance at work.

For more information visit mhfaengland.org.