Data suggests that workers in Britain are experiencing a ‘desire gap’, which has left more employees struggling with their ambition to earn a promotion across various sectors.
According to ADP’s People at Work 2025 report, a worrying 19% of workers in the United Kingdom across 34 markets claimed that they lack the desire to progress in their careers, suggesting that they’re happy in their current role and are unwilling to change.
With nearly one in five citing a lack of desire, the UK far exceeds the global average, according to the report, which consists of 38,000 respondents worldwide. Globally, just 13% feel that they lack the desire to move ahead, with 19% of workers claiming that limited opportunities are the biggest barriers to achieving a promotion.
This desire gap represents a new challenge for HR professionals who are already struggling to ensure that employees stay engaged and motivated in their roles.
The Rise of Job Hugging
In a similar trend, more UK workers have been found to be ‘job hugging’, which refers to the act of remaining in a role that they feel more comfortable in rather than switching jobs or employers.
Job hugging involves seeing security as a key factor for staying in a job, as opposed to seeking a higher-paying or more prestigious new position either with the same employer or elsewhere.
Uncertainty in the wake of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ October 2024 budget appears to be an issue that’s driven job hugging in recent months. Following the budget last year, employment levels fell 0.9% ahead of a festive period that typically sees recruitment accelerate.
However, as the impact of the budget continues to show signs of leveling out, there are fears that workers have become accustomed to seeking out security in their positions in a way that could see job hugging remain.
So how can HR professionals mitigate the impact of Britain’s weakening ambitions within the workforce? Let’s take a deeper look at how new measures can tackle job hugging trends:
Addressing the Desire Gap
For HR professionals, it’s essential to spot the signs of job hugging among workers. In practice, job hugging can come with a series of negative connotations surrounding a lack of job engagement and feelings of insecurity in roles, which may lead to a loss of productivity.
Key signs to look out for include higher levels of stress that may be affecting the mood of the team. Some employees may also change their performance levels to highlight their capabilities in certain duties while avoiding areas where they feel weaker.
It’s also important to look for signs that workers have outgrown their current roles. Here, they could be more willing to assist in other roles or opportunities to help the wider team if they’ve completed their tasks early.
The desire gap can often be widened because of a sense of market fear, and calls for a sensitive approach among HR teams. This means that a more nuanced approach to handling job hugging should be deployed.
1. Adopt an Empathetic Approach
It’s natural for workers to experience a sense of uncertainty in the current job market, and it’s understandable that this would weaken their ambition to chase promotions. By adopting an emphatic approach to employees, it can be easier to offer positive check-ins and engage with them about their concerns.
2. Support Flexibility
It’s also worth creating a conducive environment for workers to flourish on their terms. Although more offices are reopening in the wake of the pandemic, utilising flexible schedules and hybrid work can embolden more employees to take on more responsibilities without fearing the impact of greater workloads.
3. Make Ambition Desirable
More employees will be willing to push themselves to chase a promotion if taking on a new role comes with a greater level of financial remuneration.
The average salary in the United Kingdom today is impacted by many different factors, such as experience, education, location, position, and industry. With inflation accelerating domestically in recent years, it’s certainly worth employers revising their pay structures to remain competitive. This can help to encourage more employees to apply themselves and achieve higher pay grades.
Revising pay structures can also help to show employees that their employers care about investing in their growth, which can help to drive workplace engagement and ease daily stresses.
Support in Uncertain Periods
The job market in the United Kingdom remains in uncertain territory, and it’s natural for employees to channel their fears into prioritising a secure position rather than attempting to move on to more challenging roles.
HR teams must appreciate the concerns of workers while incentivising ambition in a way that can help to foster growth within their business. Maintaining an empathetic approach while ensuring that employees gain the sense of security that they need can work wonders in bridging the desire gap and rewarding the ambitions of workers.
