Half of workers in the UK (50%) say they are expecting a pay rise this year and 55 percent are likely to ask for a pay rise if they feel they deserve one.

Women are less likely to ask for a pay rise than men, with 47 percent and 64 percent respectively.

Those who classify themselves as essential workers are more likely to do so than those who describe themselves as non-essential workers (58% compared to 50%).

Interestingly, those who are working from home (61%) are more inclined to ask for a pay rise versus those who work on site or in the office (39%).

Workers have high expectations of being given a pay rise and are ready to push their employers to get it, as the cost of living rises sharply for many, reveals the ADP Research Institute’s People at Work 2022: A Global Workforce View.

 

Soaring inflation

The findings come at a time when the cost of living is rising rapidly in the UK with an inflation at a 30-year record high and the energy cap crisis, and following two years of pandemic-related disruption to jobs.

Half (50%) of workers expect to get a pay rise in the next 12 months and more than a quarter (27%) expect to be given a promotion.

This is despite only a third (32%) expecting to be given any increased responsibility, and just one in five (19%) who think they will have a formal review.

Overall, workers say pay is the most important factor to them in a job, with over half (56%) saying it is a priority, followed by job security (45%), flexibility over their hours (39%) and enjoyment of their work (34%).

The report explores employees’ attitudes towards the current world of work and what they expect and hope for from the workplace of the future.

 

Recruitment and retention

“Pay is an even more pressing issue than normal right now and it is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future, with a clear knock-on effect on recruitment and retention. Employers will have to reconcile that drive for higher wages with their own commercial imperatives, and with meeting workers’ requirements on other fronts, such as giving them the flexibility they also dearly want,” says General Manager UK & Ireland, ADP, Sirsha Halder.

“Having worked hard through the strains of the pandemic, and with spiraling inflation creating a widespread cost of living crisis, many workers feel they need and are entitled to a raise. The vast majority are prepared to speak up to get one,” says General Manager UK & Ireland, ADP, adds Sirsha Halder.

“Employers should bear this in mind in today’s tight labor market, where maintaining a secure and stable skilled workforce is paramount, and more challenging than ever,” says Haider.

 

 

 

 

Amelia Brand
Amelia Brand

Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.