Respect is the most important thing to employees in the workplace, according to global research unveiled today. People want to be listened to, communicated with respectfully and have their ideas taken seriously.
It was the top-ranked workplace factor, chosen by 36% of office workers (rising to 43% in the US and to 45% of those aged 18-24), followed by job security (31%, though up to 40% and topping the overall list in the UK) and compensation (29%).
The Work Remastered 2025 study from United Culture, a specialist in company culture, employee engagement and behavioural change, surveyed 1,500 employed adults across the UK, US and Western Europe.
Intriguingly, it found that factors like a clear career path (10%) and innovation (9%) were at the bottom of employees’ priorities.
Victoria Lewis-Stephens, managing director at United Culture, says: “A real challenge with the results this year relates to the widening gap between what organisations need and what employees are looking for. Organisations need to look at long-term strategic goals, continuous improvement and innovation, and their people are focused on what is happening here and now.
“If organisations want people to take things like innovation and continuous improvement into account, they need to incorporate meaningful time into employees’ work schedules to focus on these things. They need reframing so that people understand how these factors create long-term stability and enable opportunities for promotion and salary increases.”
Pay continues to be the biggest factor driving motivation and attitude among workers. More than a third (34%) said that their salary and overall financial package was what motivated them most at work, followed by the people they work with (26%) and, again reinforcing the theme of respect, the recognition and appreciation they receive (25%).
Also, fully half (50%) said that their primary driver at work was the prospect of salary increases. Yet only 23% said they wanted promotion to a more senior/managerial role and only 20% said they wanted to become a leader of the future.
And similarly, tangible rewards and perks were the type of recognition that meant the most to people when it comes to making their work meaningful (chosen by 41% of respondents).
Victoria Lewis-Stephens concludes: “There’s a fine balance between pay and non-pay factors when it comes to building a successful workplace. People will always want higher salaries, but even the highest pay won’t keep them at a job that’s too stressful and disengaging or where the culture is toxic.
“What more can businesses do to encourage the next generation of managers, when progression seems to come so far down the list of motivations? Leaders will have to understand where to invest to make the greatest difference to their teams.”
