Research from the Resolution Foundation indicates that employee engagement in Britain has declined significantly over the past decade, with implications for economic productivity. The thinktank’s survey of over 4,600 adults found that the proportion of workers willing to make extra efforts for their employers dropped from 69% in 2015 to 55% in 2025. Additionally, only one-in-four workers reported being less than fairly satisfied with their roles, marking the lowest satisfaction level on record.
The findings align with the “quiet quitting” phenomenon that gained prominence on social media following the pandemic. This trend describes a workplace approach where employees fulfill their basic job responsibilities while declining to undertake additional tasks or work outside designated hours, prioritizing work-life balance over exceeding expectations. The Resolution Foundation noted that workers have become increasingly focused on compensation and are less likely to find their roles interesting, with 63% saying their jobs are interesting compared to 74% a decade earlier.
According to the analysis, these shifts in worker attitudes may have contributed to sluggish productivity growth, which has remained weak since the financial crisis and deteriorated further following the pandemic. Hannah Slaughter, principal economist at the Resolution Foundation, characterized the trend as problematic for both workers and the broader economy, noting that reduced productivity and labor supply threaten future improvements in living standards. The research attributes part of the disengagement to stagnant living standards over the past decade, making workers more compensation-focused than in previous years.
Professor Sir John Curtice, who co-edited the report, cautioned against interpreting the findings as evidence that younger workers have become inherently unmotivated or are avoiding job changes. Rather, he suggested that employers may need to adapt workplace conditions to maintain engagement, emphasizing that financial rewards and flexible working arrangements have become increasingly important for securing committed workforces.
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