Member Article

Whistle While We Work – British Employees a Happy Bunch

New research reveals that British employees are, on the whole, happy at work, with a third feeling inspired to succeed every day and 70 per cent feeling positive more than three days a week. This counters a common misconception that we’re a nation of disgruntled employees pushing paper.

Ahead of the second Employee Motivation Day on 25th February, a study into the behaviours of UK’s workers highlights that team dynamics play the most important role in employee satisfaction, with two-thirds enjoying being part of a team.

The research examined how various personality types also take on very different roles. Businesses can thrive by encouraging a collaborative working environment that allows each personality type to have an impact – while there is no ‘I’, there is definitely a ‘me’ in team

The most popular work personality is Captain Questions. A fifth of workers place themselves in this category – probing and problem solving in a group is the thing they enjoy most about work. These are the most likely candidates to call collective brainstorms to reach a decision and also the most likely to encourage free-thinking and offer thanks for all suggestions and input.

The second most popular personality type is, conversely, the Independent Introverts at 15 per cent, those who take considered informed decisions in their head before expressing out loud, followed by the Confident Creatives (11 per cent). Just over one in five employees will be a Big Idea Bod, understanding that it will be others in the group who make their ‘big picture’ thinking feasible.

Despite clearly being a nation of team players however, the research reveals that 56 per cent of workers believe they themselves are their biggest motivators, suggesting a personal ambition to make an impact is driving workers. Perhaps this is why only a small group (one in seven employees) are People-Orientated Performers – there to motivate others instead of themselves.

For this personality type, a third believed that even the smallest gesture of thanking people for their input goes a long way in motivating them to participate and, case in point, three quarters of workers remember a time they were verbally praised.

A third of workers claim that simply encouraging collaborative working and allowing the different personality types to complement each other was the best way to motivate employees.

In keeping with the collaborative working theme, 36 per cent of employees thought taking the time to listen to other ways of working helped increase levels of motivation. A quarter of employees also claim that being involved in decisions helps to boost positive attitudes in the workplace.

The study comes ahead of Employee Motivation Day 2016, a day created by Argos for Business to inspire passion and appreciation across the country’s workforce. The leading provider of incentive and motivational solutions is hosting this annual event to encourage all organisations to put motivation to the forefront of business thinking and champion creative ways of engaging staff.

Argos for Business is working alongside Roger Black MBE, 3 x Olympic Medallist and motivational speaker, as part of ‘Employee Motivation Day’. Roger identifies himself as a Captain Question within a team, encouraging free-thinking and offering words of encouragement to teammates: “In 1991, the British Team won a gold medal for the 4×400 metre relay team in the World Championships. In a brave move, we made a team decision to change the running order the night before the race, and that decision ultimately resulted in a gold medal.

“By giving your team members room to brainstorm and make collaborative decisions about what they do, you will see an increase in engagement and a greater commitment to tasks – because they have made it their own. In 2015, Argos for Business’ research showed that taking on responsibility was the main motivator for over a quarter of UK employees, and this resonates in both the sporting arena and the workplace.”

Emma Glennon, head of key clients at Argos for Business, says “Our new research casts a positive light on the UK industry, with employees proving to be happy at work and championing team spirit. This contradicts the typical doom and gloom stories about the daily grind.

“The team dynamic findings are interesting as they show a delicate balance between working as a collective, while being self-motivated. This ‘best-of-both-worlds’ type of work ethos stimulates personal satisfaction and ambition, within collaborative and positive working environments.

“That’s not to say self-starters who need little motivation from others should be overlooked when it comes to incentives and rewards, however. Instead companies should acknowledge and reward them in ways that suit the individual. Ultimately, a one size fits all approach is not advisable, particularly when you consider how many personalities make up a team.”

Employees and employers can get involved in National Employee Motivation Day by downloading the motivation resource pack from www.employeemotivationday.co.uk, or by visiting the dedicated Facebook and Twitter pages, using the hashtags #EmployeeMotivationDay #EMD #MakeTheTeam and #NatMotivateDay.

For more information about Argos for Business please visit www.argosforbusiness.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rebecca Ore .