A study of 2,000 UK employees found 19 percent are ‘quiet quitting’, doing the bare minimum required, because their skills and cognitive strengths are not being recognised or used effectively.
Close to three quarters of respondents (74 percent) told Cognassist, which conducted the study, they do not have meaningful opportunities to apply their skills in their job. Researchers said that this lack of a clear connection between what employees are best at and what they are asked to do means motivation is taking a hit. And more than two thirds (67 percent) of workers admitted they aren’t as productive as they could be.
Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, is the age group most at risk of this type of disengagement, which is a problem for employers because they will soon account for a large proportion of employees.
Close to two-thirds (65 percent) of gen Z survey respondents said their cognitive strengths aren’t being used properly, with 28 percent ‘quiet quitting’ as a result.
In the same age group, only two out of ten agreed that they are happy at work, while 84 percent said their employers don’t provide enough professional development.
Researchers said that the link between cognitive alignment and engagement is clear, but survey results suggest that employers are unaware of where these matches could be made.
Most employees (88 percent) said they had never taken an assessment to understand their cognitive strengths, but 64 percent believe their organisation would work more effectively if they and their colleagues better understood each other’s skills and ways of working.
Chris Quickfall, CEO and founder of Cognassist, said: “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.”
