Zety Survey Finds 4 Out of 5 Workers Feel Taken for Granted by Their Manager

Zety, a leading career service, surveyed over 1,000 U.S.-based workers on July 5, 2023 and found that 79% agreed that they feel taken for granted by their manager. Nine percent disagreed that they were taken for granted by their manager, and 12% had no opinion. One-third of respondents said they rarely or never receive praise from their manager. More than half (53%) said they sometimes receive praise from their manager, and only 16% reported that they often receive praise from their manager. Less than a quarter (23%) feel that they receive enough praise from their manager. Regardless, 65% of workers would prefer to receive regular feedback, including areas for improvement, over receiving regular praise (35%).

Twenty-five percent of workers said they rarely or never receive praise from their colleagues, 62% said they sometimes receive praise from their colleagues, and 13% often receive praise from their colleagues. 

“Offering praise for a job well done can have a profoundly positive and motivating impact on employees, but judging by our data, many workers are not receiving enough praise in the workplace," said Jacques Buffett, Career Expert at Zety. “We shouldn’t underestimate the importance of giving genuine recognition for accomplishments. Whether you’re a manager or a colleague, through a small effort, your encouraging words can play a vital role in improving someone’s job satisfaction,” Buffett concluded. 

When asked to identify their greatest workplace weaknesses, areas were identified that could potentially be strengthened through praise from managers and colleagues.  

• Easily giving up – 33%
• Sensitivity to criticism – 30%
• Reluctance to take risks – 28%
• Lack of willingness to learn – 28%
• Poor leadership skills – 27%
• Impatience – 27%
• Poor adaptability skills – 24%
• Negative perfectionism – 22%

Additional findings: 

• 83% believe that achieving professional success requires personal sacrifice
• Roughly 4 out of 10 (38%) feel proud of their professional achievements
• 65% would prefer to receive regular feedback, including areas for improvement, over receiving regular praise (35%)
• 68% are currently considering leaving their current employer
• 55% would choose doing meaningful work over earning a lot of money (45%)
• 72% would choose job satisfaction over job prestige (28%)

For a successful career, people are willing to sacrifice: 

• Free time – 78%
• Hobbies – 79%
• Personal values – 77%
• Mental health – 77%
• Romantic relationship/marriage – 75%

METHODOLOGY

The findings presented were obtained by surveying 1,074 American respondents on July 5, 2023. They were asked questions about a variety of workplace topics. These included yes/no questions, scale-based questions relating to levels of agreement with a statement, questions that permitted the selection of multiple options from a list of potential answers, and questions that permitted open responses. All respondents included in the study passed an attention-check question.

To view the full report with more information, please visit https://zety.com/blog/power-of-employee-recognition or contact Maja Kowalska at maja@zety.com.