ACTING WITH A BETTER UNDERSTANDING
Motivation at work
Viavoice – W & Cie
Comparative survey of British, French and German
people in work
Viavoice
. Research and Consulting
5 Park Place, London SW1A 1LP . + 44 (0)208 769 6836
www.institut-viavoice.com
Aurélien Preud’homme, Arthur Emile, François Miquet-Marty
Content and method summary
Overview of findings
3
Detailed results by country
5
Motivation at work
6
Sources of motivation
8
Sources of demotivation
10
Survey Method
Viavoice survey conducted on behalf of W&Cie.
Interviews completed online between 22 - 25 October 2013.
Responses obtained from a sample of 1598 Europeans in work, divided into
three nationally representative sub-samples :
- France : 579 people in work;
- United Kingdom : 511 people in work;
- Germany : 508 people in work.
2
Overview of Findings(1/2)
The good news for Britain is that a majority of people (78%) describe themselves as
feeling motivated at work. True, this is not quite as high as the corresponding figure in
Germany, but it is significantly more than in France, which stands out as having the
least motivated workforce of the three countries. So what are the sources of
motivation at work, and why does the French workforce have less spring in its step?
A clear difference between France and her European neighbours
Far fewer French people describe themselves as being motivated at work (56 %) than their
counterparts in the United Kingdom (78 %) or Germany, which claims the top-spot for
professional motivation, with 80 % describing themselves as « motivated » and 28 % « very
motivated» (compared to 24% in the UK and only 12% in France who are « very motivated»).
This marked difference between France and her neighbours becomes even stronger when we
compare different categories of people in work:
- Private sector employees in France are less motivated than their counterparts in the public
sector (52 % are motivated in the private sector, against 61 % in the public sector), a
distinction which is not seen in either Germany or the United Kingdom.
- Similarly, the « senior » age group is far less motivated in France than « juniors » : 71 % of
the French under 25s and 65 % of the 25-34 years bracket say that they are motivated at work,
compared to only 50 % of the 45-54 years bracket and 51 % of the over 55s. Once again, these
differences are not seen in the other two countries, and we even observe something of an
inverse trend in Germany, where motivation tends to peak later on in professional life with 87
% of those in the 45-54 years bracket feeling « motivated », compared to 71 % of under 25s.
More motivated young people in the UK
British people aged under 35 are more likely to feel motivated at work than either Germans or
French of the same age. This is most striking with the youngest age band; 86% of the under 25s
in the UK consider themselves « motivated » compared to only 71% in both other countries.
3
Overview of findings (2/2)
A passion for my work: the major common ingredient of motivation
For people who are « motivated » at work, the top source of motivation is their interest in
their work, whether for the Germans (a source of motivation for 60 % of « motivated »
workers) , French (44 %) or British (39 %). However, the fact that Germans are more likely to
cite their passion for their work may provide an explanation for their overall level of
motivation being higher.
In the United Kingdom there is similarly a strong pattern around interest is one’s work as a
source of motivation, but also as the most common cause of demotivation. Of British people
who are « not motivated » at work, 41% put this down to a lack of interest in the job they do,
ranging from boredom to a total dislike of their profession. This lack of interest does not
feature nearly as prominently among the causes of demotivation in either France or
Germany.
What factors explain a lack of motivation?
The causes of demotivation are relatively similar across countries. Three primary factors
emerge: lack of recognition (financial or material) , management pressure and poor working
conditions.
In France, however, a sense of insecurity is much more at the forefront than in the other
countries, and represents the number one cause of demotivation. If a fear of losing one’s job,
or anxiety about the future of one’s company is a concern expressed in all countries, it is
particularly so in France (by 23 % of « not motivated » workers compared to only 9 % in
Germany and 8 % in the UK), and this despite France’s employment law usually being
considered to offer greater protection than is the case across either the Rhine or the English
Channel. This French trait, involving pessimism about one’s own professional future, is best
explained by a greater tendency for French people to anticipate that problems in the wider
economy will adversely affect their own personal situation. In particular, France’s higher
unemployment rate creates a sense of precarity, with job insecurity more commonly felt on
an everyday basis. This anxiety is particularly prevalent among the least motivated members
of the French workforce, notably among those in the private sector and among « seniors ».
If pressure (notably management pressure) and atmosphere at work are salient among the
causes of demotivation cited by the French (25 %) and Germans (28 %), they are less so in the
UK (10%). The British who are « mot motivated» are the least likely to put this down to
pressure and stress at work, and are instead by far the most likely to explain it by a lack of
interest in what they do.
4
Detail by country
Motivation at work
In general when you are at work, do you feel very motivated, fairly motivated, not really
motivated or not at all motivated?
Very motivated
Fairly motivated
Not at all motivated
Don't know
Not really motivated
Sub-total « Motivated » 80 %
Germany
52%
28%
16%
3% 1%
Sub-total « Motivated » 78 %
United Kingdom
54%
24%
16%
5% 1%
Sub-total « Motivated » 56 %
France
Base : total sample
12%
44%
33%
10% 1%
6
Motivation at work – detailed results
In general when you are at work, do you feel … (Sub-total « Motivated »)
Average for
Germans in work
80 %
Under 25 yrs
25-34 yrs
35-44 yrs
45-54 yrs
Over 55 yrs
Average for British
in work
78 %
71%
86%
71%
73%
68%
81%
87%
83%
Public sector
79%
Private sector
79%
Base : total sample
Average for French
in work
56 %
78%
76%
80%
78%
75%
65%
54%
50%
51%
61%
52%
7
Sources of motivation (1/2)
Why do you say that you are motivated at work? (Open question, main spontaneous answers)
France
1
A passion for my work : « I love my work »
44 %
2
Good working conditions (human and material)
17 %
3
A job that provides the income I need to live well
13 %
4
A sense of recognition, that I am doing something worthwhile
7%
5
Professionalism, the desire to give the best of myself
3%
United Kingdom
1
A passion for my work : « I love my work »
39 %
2
Good working conditions (human and material)
13 %
3
A job that provides the income I need to live well
11 %
4
A sense of recognition, that I am doing something worthwhile
9%
5
Professionalism, the desire to give the best of myself
7%
Germany
1
A passion for my work : « I love my work »
60%
2
Good working conditions (human and material)
19 %
3
A job that provides the income I need to live well
7%
4
A sense of recognition, that I am doing something worthwhile
7%
5
Professionalism, the desire to give the best of myself
3%
Base: people who describe themselves as « motivated » at work
8
Sources of motivation (2/2)
Why do you say that you are motivated at work? (Open question, spontaneous answers)
60%
39%
A passion for my work
44%
19%
Good working conditions
(human and material)
A job that provides the income I
need to lived well
A sense of recognition, that I am
doing something worthwhile
Professionalism, the desire to
give the best of myself
13%
17%
7%
11%
13%
Germany
United Kingdom
France
7%
9%
7%
3%
7%
3%
9
Base: people who describe themselves as « motivated » at work
Sources of demotivation (1/2)
Why do you say that you are demotivated at work? (Open question, main spontaneous answers)
France
1
Lack of human and financial recognition
28 %
2
A job that is wearing and stressful, too much pressure
25 %
3
Job insecurity, an uncertain future
23 %
4
Poor working conditions (human and material)
20 %
5
A job that is not interesting
9%
United Kingdom
1
A job that is not interesting
41 %
2
Poor working conditions (human and material)
25 %
3
Lack of human and financial recognition
22 %
4
A job that is wearing and stressful, too much pressure
10 %
5
Job insecurity, an uncertain future
8%
Germany
1
Lack of human and financial recognition
31 %
2
Poor working conditions (human and material)
29 %
3
A job that is wearing and stressful, too much pressure
28 %
4
A job that is not interesting
14 %
5
Job insecurity, an uncertain future
9%
Base : people who describe themselves as « not motivated» at work
10
Sources of demotivation (2/2)
Why do you say that you are demotivated at work ? (Open question, spontaneous answers)
31%
Lack of human and financial
recognition
A job that is wearing and
stressful, to much pressure
Job insecurity, an uncertain
future
22%
28%
28%
10%
25%
9%
Germany
8%
United Kingdom
23%
France
29%
Poor working conditions
(human and material)
25%
20%
14%
41%
A job that is not interesting
9%
11
Base : people who describe themselves as « not motivated» at work
Words used most often by country to explain
motivation of demotivation
Words used most often by
people who describe
themselves as
« motivated » at work
France
United Kingdom
Germany
Words used most often by
people who describe
themselves as
« demotivated » at work
1/Aime, plaît – like, enjoy (86
mentions)
1/Ambiance – atmosphere (23
mentions)
2/ Intéressant, intérêt – interesting,
interest (25 mentions)
2/ Salaire, argent, payé - salary,
money, paid (22 mentions)
3/Ambiance – atmosphere (12
mentions)
3/ Reconnaissance – recognition
(17 mentions)
4/ Salaire, argent, payé – salary,
money, paid (11 mentions)
4/ Pression, stress – pressure,
stress (15 mentions)
1/ Enjoy (75 mentions)
1/ Pay, money (16 mentions)
2/ Like / Love (59 mentions)
2/ Management (11 mentions)
3/ Pay, Money (21 mentions)
3/ Bored, boring (10 mentions)
4/ People (14 mentions)
4/ Poor (5 mentions)
1/ Spaß – fun, enjoyment (60
mentions)
1/ Bezahlung, Geld – salary,
money (13 mentions)
2/ Kollegen – colleagues (30
mentions)
4/ Druck, Stress – pressure, stress
(9 mentions)
3/ Interessant – interesting (19
mentions)
2/ Arbeitsklima – work
atmosphere (8 mentions)
4/ Bezahlung, Geld – salary, money
(18 mentions)
3/ Arbeitsumfeld – professional
environment (7 mentions)
12
« La réalité ne pardonne pas qu’on la méprise. » Joris-Karl Huysmans
The most recent Viavoice surveys on behalf of
HEC, CCI de France, Libération, Le Monde, Le Figaro, Les Echos, France Inter and France Info
can be viewed at www.institut-viavoice.com
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