Why is Employee Fulfilment a Company’s Secret Weapon?

Research from the Oliver Wyman Forum finds that personal fulfilment is now the second highest workplace priority, beaten only by pay. 

The report, which surveyed 300,000 people globally from 2021-2026, found that employees are placing greater importance on personal fulfilment in the workplace, with it climbing up the forum's ranking six places in just five years. 

Training and development was also a top three workplace priority. The report found a 98% increase in employees citing access to training as the best way to improve their work experience.

This coincides with findings that a third of the skills required for the average job have changed, according to research by Lightcast.

The importance of employee fulfilment 

Personal fulfilment is not just a benefit for individual employees, it helps the entire organisation. 

According to Oliver Wyman, fulfilled workers are 67% to 91% more likely to understand a company’s vision, believe in its future and trust its senior leadership team. 

Fulfilled employees are also more likely to remain at a company, with 69% not planning on leaving their current business, compared to 56% of non-fulfilled workers. 

Findings from the report suggest one of the most effective ways to increase employee fulfilment across an organisation is via learning and development, with a third of employees revealing that access to training would improve their overall work experience. 

This figure has reportedly increased by 98% since 2021 suggesting that, with the fast rate of AI adoption in recent years, employees want to develop the skills needed in the new world of work.  

A generational skills gap

While learning and development is becoming increasingly important to employees, workplaces are struggling to meet the shifting expectations. 

Only a quarter of employees say they have access to learning opportunities and the time to develop new skills. Access to skill building opportunities falls with age – with 28% of Gen Z having access to learning and development opportunities, compared to only 17% of baby boomers. 

A lack of skills development is often the result of a disconnect between employee and managers, with only two in five employees believing that their manager understands their skills and the gaps between those skills, according to a 2025 report by Mercer. 

The skills employees already have are also less likely to be valued by a company, with only 27% of employees feeling that their existing capabilities are fully used. 

Organisations that invest in employee skills building will be rewarded with a cohort that is more engaged and adaptable, according to Oliver Wyman. 

Integrating learning into daily workflows

Microsoft – named Forbes’ best employer in 2025 – is finding new ways to address these challenges. The company uses Microsoft Viva to ensure learning is a part of an employee’s daily workflow. 

Launched in 2021, the platform aggregates learning content from various sources into one central hub, with the aim of making training embedded in the flow of work. 

By ensuring skills building is easily accessible to employees, the company is consistently ranked highly by its staff for career advancement opportunities and employee wellbeing, ensuring workers have the ability to feel fulfilled by the work they are doing. 

Discussing in a company how Microsoft is striving to improve productivity across the organisation, CEO Satya Nadella says: “Thriving employees are what will give organisations a competitive advantage in today’s economic environment.”