Do bosses need to duck doing a Donald? 

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Joanne Swann
man wearing Donald Trump mask standing in front of White House

Nearly one in ten (9%) UK workers say their bosses remind them of former US president and The Apprentice host Donald Trump, according to a new survey of workers by Reward Gateway | Edenred, the leading employee experience platform. 

The new poll, which aimed to find out what employees think of their bosses, found that a whopping 96% of workers don’t feel fully appreciated by the companies they work for – while over a third (37%) said they don’t feel appreciated by their bosses specifically.

The research into our relationship with bosses found that:

  • Nearly half (46%) of UK workers don’t feel there is enough reward and recognition from managers;
  • Nearly a quarter (23%) are not consistently recognised for their work;
  • 43% believe that bosses need to prioritise rewards and recognition in the next year;
  • A quarter (25%) say they rarely feel appreciated at work.

While employees up and down the country battle against rampant inflation and a cost of living crisis, one surprise from the research emerged: 45% of workers said a simple thank you would be enough to make them feel appreciated by the companies they work for.

This is furthered supported by recent research from employee engagement experts Inpulse, who found that employees who feel supported by their line managers are almost three times more engaged at work, demonstrating the profound impact of genuine managerial care and support on employee morale and productivity.

Reward Gateways research did, however, find a camaraderie of a different sort: three-quarters (77%) of British workers do feel appreciated by their fellow colleagues.

Nebel Crowhurst, Chief People Officer at Reward Gateway | Edenred, explains how being a boss is not easy. But then it’s not easy being a worker in an economic climate as tough as the one the UK currently finds itself in: workers are often expected to do more and more, with fewer resources, and this puts a toll on mental and physical wellbeing.

Crowhurst emphasises the solution to this problem is through employee appreciation:

UK workers clearly need some appreciation. Money, is, of course, one solution but it needs to be part of a whole package of support. Genuine appreciation that is expressed through verbal gratitude, rewards, subsidies, and benefits all go towards helping employees and making them feel valued. The power of appreciation is more about building bridges than building walls.

Nebel Crowhurst, Chief People Officer at Reward Gateway | Edenred

Joanne Swann, Content Manager, WorkWellPro
Editor at Workplace Wellbeing Professional | Website |  + posts

Joanne is the editor for Workplace Wellbeing Professional and has a keen interest in promoting the safety and wellbeing of the global workforce. After earning a bachelor's degree in English literature and media studies, she taught English in China and Vietnam for two years. Before joining Work Well Pro, Joanne worked as a marketing coordinator for luxury property, where her responsibilities included blog writing, photography, and video creation.

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