More workers are giving up on getting a promotion. Only 16% of employees across the globe say they’re willing to go the extra mile at work these days — helping out colleagues, clocking extra hours or volunteering for more responsibilities.
That figure is at its lowest point since at least 2010, according to a survey from Gartner, a global research and advisory firm in Connecticut.
Workers’ desire to put in extra effort beyond their normal duties is in decline because they anticipate fewer promotion opportunities and meager raises, according to Gartner’s expert in human resources, Brian Kropp. The trend has been on the rise since the global financial crisis, he said.
The Gartner survey polled 22,000 people from across 40 countries in regions such as North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Australia.
Many companies have made it harder to climb the career ladder or get a significant raise, said Kropp. In recent years, many companies gutted their middle management ranks, which were opportunities for entry-level employees to get promotions, he added.
Employee raises in the past year have hovered on average between 1% and 2% globally, according to Gartner.
When Gartner surveyed workers, the number one reason they cited for leaving their previous job was a lack of career opportunity. Lack of pay, poor management and little individual development ranked as the other top reasons for jumping ship.
Workers are “now saying, ‘Gosh I see the likelihood of getting promoted less. I see raises and bonuses being small. So what’s the point of working harder?'” Kropp said.
The research also backs up an argument from some liberal economists: Companies need to raise wages to better recruit and retain workers. In surveys, many employers say they can’t find the workers they need at the price they want to pay.
In the United States, 23% of employees were willing to put in the extra work this year, down from 27% in 2013. That wasn’t the worst decline though: In Latin America it fell to 24% from 32% over the same time. Asia had the lowest percentage of workers putting in the extra effort: 12% this year, down from 14% in 2013.