Those in the UK want their own values to align with the organisations they work for more than peers in the US and continental Europe

Yet in this country, less than a third of people feel their organisation’s stated values are reflected truly in the workplace.

In a climate of economic and social uncertainty, job security remains the key factor people look for in the workplace, but reputation and values still play a significant role in attracting and keeping talent. Eight in ten office workers say their employer’s reputation was an important factor in their decision to take a job, according to new research.

The 2025 Work Remastered study from United Culture, a specialist in company culture, employee engagement and behavioural change, surveyed 1,500 employed adults across the UK, US and Western Europe.

Values are a priority for UK office workers, where half (50%) feel it’s important that organisational values around transparency and honesty, fair treatment and inclusivity, and recognition of their contribution align to their personal beliefs.

However, there are clear cultural differences across markets, and the UK figures over-index against the overall average of 41%. Alignment with personal values is markedly lower in other countries - for instance those in France are far less concerned about inclusivity at 23% or recognition (26%).

Victoria Lewis-Stephens, managing director at United Culture, says: “Aligning with employees’ own values is something that businesses should bear in mind. What’s more important though, is that an organisation sets out its values clearly and that these are reflected in the workplace experience. After all, only 10% of our respondents admit their work defines who they are; it’s a means to an end for a fifth, and a further 21% suggest work enables them to do the things they love.”

However, business leaders still need to work harder to ensure those values are apparent to their teams. Only 31% of UK office workers felt their organisation’s values are truly reflected in the workplace, compared to nearly half (48%) in the US and a global average of 39%.

When asked what changes their organisation could make to improve the working experience, 22% identified leadership behaviours, with a further 20% looking for better communication and transparency.

When asked, specifically, how leaders could build trust most effectively, almost half of respondents favoured honesty and meaningful acknowledgement over sugar-coating and empty reassurances, with 45% looking for open and transparent communication, even in difficult situations.

Victoria Lewis-Stephens, managing director at United Culture, concludes: “Reputation and values are a currency employees trade on when the world around them feels uncertain. People are no longer satisfied with platitudes, they expect their immediate leaders - at the very least - to be honest in a political climate in which terms like ‘post-truth’ are being bandied around.
“Transparency has tangible business advantages, a quarter (26%) of those polled suggest they do their best work when their leaders communicate openly, honestly, and frequently.”

For more information, please visit https://www.unitedcultureco.com/