Let’s quote from Axios here.
Only 32% of employees said they were “actively engaged” at work, or feeling passionate about their jobs, down from a high of 36% in 2020, according to a Gallup report , which averaged survey results across 2022.
Changing requirements around remote and hybrid work and a lack of communication with managers are causing people to psychologically disengage, with increasing numbers feeling like no one cares about them.
18% of employees said in 2022 they were “actively disengaged,” i.e., disgruntled and disloyal, the highest that number has been since 2013. The remaining half of workers are just doing the bare minimum to get by, says Jim Harter, chief workplace scientist at Gallup.
Young employees are feeling the most disconnected. Engagement for those under 35 decreased by four percentage points; while active disengagement went up by the same amount.
Engagement fell across the board, whether someone worked remotely, in a hybrid arrangement, or on-site. Workers who were in jobs that could be done remotely, but were forced to work on-site saw an increase of 7 points in active disengagement.
A crucial move that managers can make to improve engagement is holding one-on-one meetings with each direct report. One recent study found that they led to a 54% increase in engagement.
Why do we care?
It’s that last data point. Good managers can improve engagement. The turbulence of the past three years is long lingering, and businesses cannot blame remote workers. The noise of tech layoffs in big companies is not playing out with data in services firms or in cybersecurity. Keep your people, and work on engagement.