UK businesses are struggling to keep employees engaged and motivated, and new research suggests they may be overlooking one of the biggest causes of workplace dissatisfaction. According to a study of 2,000 UK employees by Cognassist, one in five workers (19%) admit they are ‘quiet quitting’ – doing the bare minimum at work – because their skills and cognitive strengths are not being recognised or used effectively.
Almost three in four (74%) feel they lack meaningful opportunities to apply their skills, and without a clear connection between what they excel at and what they are asked to do, motivation is suffering: 67% say they aren’t as productive as they could be.
Gen Z – soon to be the largest cohort in the workforce – is the most at risk of disengagement. 65% say their cognitive strengths aren’t being used properly, and 28% are already ‘quiet quitting’ as a result. The dissatisfaction runs deep, with just 2 in 10 saying they’re happy at work and 84% believing their employers don’t provide enough professional development opportunities. If businesses don’t act now, they risk a workforce that is unmotivated, unproductive, and more likely to leave.
Despite the clear link between cognitive alignment and engagement, the survey found that businesses are failing to equip employees with the tools they need to work to their full potential. 88% of employees have never taken an assessment to understand their cognitive strengths, yet 64% believe their organisation would work more effectively if they and their colleagues had a better understanding of each other’s skills and ways of working.
Chris Quickfall, CEO and founder of Cognassist, says: “Employees aren’t quiet quitting because they’re lazy or don’t want to work hard – workplaces aren’t set up to let them contribute in ways that match their strengths. Too many businesses still rely on blanket engagement strategies that fail to tap into what actually drives performance and motivation – matching people’s strengths with the right work.
As HR teams struggle to maintain a motivated workplace, cognitive mapping helps join the dots. By understanding how employees think and work best, we can unlock higher motivation, productivity, and retention. Fundamentally, a happy workforce is a productive one, and this comes from more than perks and culture initiatives. We all want to feel valued for our individual strengths and to be able to do work that is meaningful – and that’s what driving workers today.”
As the pressure to improve engagement and a motivated workforce intensifies, businesses that fail to capitalise on the cognitive diversity of their workforce will continue to struggle with quiet quitting and lost productivity. Organisations that rethink how they support employees and ensure they can apply their strengths effectively will be better positioned to build a more motivated, high-performing workforce.
For businesses looking to take action, Cognassist delivers powerful cognitive insights that enable organisations to understand how their employees think, learn, and perform at their best, driving productivity, inclusivity, and workplace success. Watch a recent webinar to see how you can solve the productivity puzzle with cognition.
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