The poll also found 18% of UK employees feel optimistic about their future with their present employer. These findings, when applied to Britain as a whole, could equate to more than 23,000,000 British workers feeling disenchanted with their employer.
More than a third (37%) of respondents to the survey also said they rarely or never received appropriate or sufficient recognition at work and a similar number (35%) of people said they are dissatisfied with the communication that they receive from their senior management.
River Marketing's managing director, Phil Dunk, said: "With the unemployment level at 2.65 million and many good candidates for every role, some companies may believe that they have the luxury of being able to neglect the needs of their people.
"The issue will be apparent when the job market recovers, by which time it may be too late to hold on to dedicated, talented people who are hungry for a new challenge."
Aside from saying the occasional 'thank you', Dunk believes the results emphasise a need for many employers to focus on strengthening relationships between senior management and employees: "There should be more emphasis on developing strong internal communications so that employees feel closer to the top of the organisation, understand why difficult decisions are being made and realise the importance of their individual contribution to the business," he added.
"Making your people feel valued can be relatively simple, and doesn't need to be a costly exercise. In fact, with the technologies now available, it's easier for organisations to communicate well internally than ever before."
Total sample size was 2001 adults of which 1,150 are working. Fieldwork was undertaken between 17th - 19th April 2012. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
