Press Releases

Crisis in Polish Companies: 70% of Employees Feel Unappreciated

MRKT 3.0

March 9, 2026

Appreciation is becoming one of the most underestimated areas of management today – such a conclusion can be drawn from the results of the latest edition of a study conducted annually by Enpulse and Nais. The report “Do You Feel Appreciated? 2026” shows that as many as 71 percent of Poles do not feel noticed at work – the highest result in the history of the study. Tomasz Szklarski from Enpulse points out that an unappreciated employee is a cost for an organization, and in the current economic situation companies cannot afford it.

The Enpulse and Nais study shows that only 29 percent of working Poles feel appreciated at work, while 57 percent say outright that they do not. If we add neutral responses to this latter group – often signaling a lack of real recognition – the scale of feeling unappreciated rises to 71 percent. This is 7 percentage points more than in 2025 and 8 percentage points more than two years ago. This year’s results show that this is not a temporary decline in mood but a trend that is becoming entrenched.

“The most interesting – and at the same time the most worrying – aspect is that the way people respond is changing” says Szklarski. “Extreme opinions remain at a similar level as before, but the “middle” is disappearing. Fewer and fewer people say “rather yes” or “rather no.” It is as if employees are no longer hesitating. Those who a year ago were unsure whether they felt appreciated now more often say directly: I am not appreciated at work. This shows that our awareness and sense of self-worth are increasing – more and more Poles know that they deserve appreciation and notice its absence. This is a signal of changes taking place in the labor market“, emphasizes Szklarski, co-creator of the Enpulse platform, a modern HR tool supporting employers in building employee engagement.

Can we appreciate our own commitment?

In a situation where organizations fail in the area of recognition, employees increasingly try to cope on their own. The results of the Enpulse and Nais study indicate that Poles maintain their motivation and sense of purpose at work by their own efforts. For several years, the share of people who declare that they are able to appreciate the contribution their daily commitment brings to the organization has remained stable. In 2024 this percentage was 72 percent, in 2025 – 71 percent, and in the current year again 72 percent.

“Despite the declining sense of external recognition, most people are still able to see the value of their work. This is an example of so-called self-leadership, the ability to build one’s own engagement. Is this a good direction? On the one hand, it is a huge asset – it demonstrates maturity and the internal strength of employees. On the other hand, it shows that organizations are beginning to shift responsibility for engagement into the hands of employees themselves. Unfortunately, this is a road to nowhere, because even the highest level of internal motivation will not last long without authentic recognition from the company“, emphasizes Szklarski.

Silent killers of appreciation

The results of the study “Do You Feel Appreciated? 2026” clearly indicate two elements that influence the low sense of appreciation among employees.

The first is the irregularity of feedback. The Enpulse report shows that most Poles admit that appreciation in their organizations occurs rarely. Over the past three years, the size of this group has increased: from 40 percent in 2024, through 43 percent in 2025, to 45 percent in 2026. Regular appreciation – every month or every quarter – is declared by only 20 percent of respondents (in each of these categories), while more frequent appreciation – at least once a week – is reported by 19 percent of respondents. Particularly worrying is that 16 percent of employees admit they have never felt appreciated at work.

The second challenge remains the mismatch between forms of recognition and employees’ real needs. The most frequently indicated preferred form of appreciation is a financial bonus – chosen by 60 percent of respondents, which is 8 percentage points more than in 2025 and 2 percentage points more than in 2024. At the same time, a simple “thank you” as the most desired form of recognition is losing importance – it was indicated by 14 percent of respondents, 5 percentage points less than in the two previous editions of the study. In practice, however, praise from a supervisor or a short “thank you” for a job well done are exactly what employees encounter most often.

“Mismatch and overly rare appreciation are not new phenomena. We have been observing them consistently for several years and see that instead of disappearing, the problem is deepening“, says Szklarski. “It is like refueling a car. If you do it irregularly or pour in low-quality fuel, even the best engine will not go far. And if you continue doing this for a long time, you risk a serious breakdown. Appreciation works exactly the same way – when it is rare or mismatched, it does not give energy to act but gradually weakens the relationship between the employee and the company” adds the expert.

Generation Z as a barometer of appreciation

This gap between how things should be and how they actually are is noticed most clearly by young employees. When we look at the results of the Enpulse study by age group, clear generational differences in the sense of appreciation become visible. If neutral responses are treated as a signal of a potential lack of real appreciation, the highest percentage of people who do not feel recognized appears in the 25–29 age group – as much as 79 percent. A slightly lower result is observed among the youngest employees, up to the age of 24 – 76 percent. It is worth adding that in both groups the indicator increased significantly compared with the previous edition of the study – by 16 percentage points – and compared with 2024 by 8 percentage points (25–29) and as much as 20 percentage points (up to 24). Importantly, among older employees the level of feeling unappreciated is clearly lower and does not increase as dynamically.

“If young people say today that they do not feel authentic recognition, we have a serious problem” comments Szklarski. “The first years of work shape the standard of engagement for years to come. If today Gen Z receives only dry messages instead of meaningful feedback, they will quickly learn that it is not worth engaging beyond the minimum. This means that if we do not build relationships with them based on authentic recognition today, tomorrow we may face problems maintaining responsible and engaged teams” he adds.

It is also worth noting that young people relatively more often than older employees declare that they receive regular feedback – even at least once a week (30 percent compared to 8–9 percent) – while at the same time they feel the least appreciated among all age groups. This shows that the number of messages alone is not enough.

“Here we have an example of the paradox of modern organizations: the number of messages is increasing, but their quality does not necessarily improve. Feedback is often technical and focused on results, while the element of noticing the person is missing. Generation Z, which particularly values development, authenticity and meaning, quickly notices this difference. That is why young employees are currently the most sensitive indicator of leadership quality – if they do not feel appreciated, it is a warning signal for the entire organization” emphasizes Szklarski.

An unappreciated employee is an expensive employee

The results of the Enpulse study should serve as a warning for Polish employers. They show a decline in the sense of appreciation and a growing discrepancy between what employees expect and what they actually receive. This mismatch creates frustration and a sense of injustice which over time translate into lower engagement and the risk of burnout. This in turn means real costs for organizations. According to Gallup research, low employee activity and engagement cost the global economy 8.9 trillion USD annually, which accounts for about 9 percent of global GDP.

“In many companies today we can see a clear perception gap: most managers believe they appreciate their teams well, but only about one third of employees confirm this. Importantly, the problem may not be the lack of intention but the quality of appreciation – or rather its absence. Ignoring this may have serious business consequences. When employees feel unappreciated, their initiative declines, caution in action increases, decisions are made more slowly and increasingly limited to fulfilling the minimum. All of this is reflected in the company’s financial results” says Szklarski.

Media reports show that organizations where the culture of appreciation is weak record 18 percent lower productivity, 23 percent lower profitability and even 43 percent higher turnover compared with teams with high engagement. Across the entire organization this translates into real costs and a weakening of competitive advantage.

“In 2026 the question is therefore not “is appreciation worthwhile?”, but “can we afford not to do it?”. In a market where benefits are becoming increasingly comparable, the quality of relationships and authentic recognition are becoming a competitive advantage“, adds the expert.

Methodological note: The study “Do You Feel Appreciated? 2026” was quantitative in nature and was conducted using the CAWI method, with the use of the dedicated Enpulse research platform. It was carried out from the beginning of November 2025 to the end of January 2026. A non-random sampling method based on voluntary participation was used in the study. The sample size was 1039 respondents.