Poor management communication and an inability to motivate staff are key reasons why only a third of UK personnel are currently working to their full potential, a report has claimed.
 

A survey among 2,000 workers undertaken by staff development company European Leaders revealed that a huge two thirds failed to understand their company’s vision, which had a negative impact on their motivation and productivity. It also contributed to the fact that a mere 18% would describe their employer as a ‘good’ organisation to work for.
 
But two thirds of those questioned said that they would work much more efficiently if they were better motivated, although only 36% said they were currently working to their full potential.
 
Ashley Ward, European Leaders’ director, said: “It’s widely accepted that people performance is the biggest influence in business performance, yet as a nation we’re not doing enough. If you look at the UK’s best companies to work for, their focus on company values and employee engagement is right at the top of their agenda.”
 
As to what would boost that employee engagement, 41% of respondents respectively cited managers’ ability to communicate passion and enthusiasm about work to them and being prepared to challenge in order to help them reach their full potential.
 
A further 38% said they would like bosses to help them find something in the workplace that motivated them, while 37% felt managers had a duty to make their work more engaging.
 
In contrast, however, a third of those questioned said they were passionate and enthusiastic about their interests outside of work, while 15% had developed skills and knowledge from these hobbies that could be put to better use at work.
 
Some 34% believed a good manager should be aware if staff had such under-used skills or expertise, while a further 38% felt they should be able to embrace new ideas from across the company.
 
Ward said: “The fact that people want to be more involved in their work and their company shows they think about their employer’s business and care about how they’re managed. They have more to give and opening the minds of management to fresh ideas can release a huge amount of energy and skill from the workforce, benefiting the business bottom line as well as the employees as they become more passionate about the organisation they work in.”