New research from Moonpig for business has uncovered a ‘recognition gap’ in UK workplaces, with a fifth of Brits saying they’ve never been thanked for their work, and more than half admitting they don’t feel valued by their employer
The study of 2,000 UK employees shows the power of small gestures: two-thirds say a simple card or note would make them feel appreciated.
The research coincides with the launch of Moonpig for business, a new platform helping employers celebrate and reward employees through personalised cards and gifts, making meaningful recognition simple at scale.
Moonpig for business has been developed to make appreciation easier, with personalised recognition at scale through features such as branded cards, curated gifts, and automated sending features.
The research showed that one fifth (19%) of UK employees say they have never been thanked by their employer for a specific work achievement, and more than half (51%) say they do not feel valued in the workplace.
The study of 2,000 UK adults also revealed that over half (53%) of employees say lack of recognition at work impacts their motivation, with 59% admitting they would consider leaving a job if their hard work went unnoticed.
The top forms of recognition are a financial reward (71%), a promotion (66%), and a private thank you- from a manager (65%), but smaller gestures still go a long way. Two-thirds (65%) of workers said that a thoughtful card or note would make them feel valued.
employees crave simple, everyday recognition. We built Moonpig for business to make that process effortless for businesses
Nickyl Raithatha, CEO, Moonpig
Brits also feel their employers are forgetting life’s key milestones. One in five (20%) workers have never had their birthday acknowledged at work, despite 41% saying they would expect it, while a third say their work anniversaries have never been celebrated.
Even more shockingly, a fifth of employees say they have seen a colleague recognised for hard work when they themselves weren’t, despite making a similar level of visible effort. Some have even experienced recognition gone wrong: 9% have received a card with their name spelt incorrectly, and 8% have been left out of a group thank-you card.
“Recognition doesn’t need to be complicated to be meaningful,” said Laura Dixon, people director at Moonpig. “Remembering birthdays, work anniversaries, or simply acknowledging everyday effort can have a huge impact on morale. The key is making people feel seen and appreciated for what they do.”
Nickyl Raithatha, CEO of Moonpig, said: “Moonpig for business started during Covid when we used our own personalised card service to recognise our employees and keep them connected. We saw how powerful it was, so we automated the process, and it very quickly became clear that the need for this was bigger than us. In a busy hybrid world, business leaders struggle to make employees feel genuinely seen.
“We saw the impact from our efforts first-hand and our research backs it up: employees crave simple, everyday recognition. We built Moonpig for business to make that process effortless for businesses also – one single platform for personalised cards and gifts that makes recognition simple, timely and scalable, helping companies to build stronger relationships with their teams.”
The platform features time-saving solutions that will allow businesses to send branded, personalised cards and gifts to multiple recipients at speed, making it easy to ensure that employees feel valued throughout the year. Moonpig reports that 83% of companies already using the service say Moonpig for business has increased engagement within their organisation.
