Most Americans are disengaged at work

According to a Gallup report released yesterday, less than one-third of American workers are actively engaged at work. The measure has decreased for the second year in a row; it went from 36% in 2020 to 32% in 2022. No wonder employees are quitting, “quiet quitting”, or simply don’t give a damn about their jobs.

This is a problem, here’s why.

“Engaged employees are involved in and enthusiastic about their work and workplace. Actively disengaged employees are disgruntled and disloyal because most of their workplace needs are unmet,” wrote Jim Harter, Ph.D., Chief Scientist of Workplace Management and Well-Being for Gallup’s workplace management practice.

Nearly all of the shift from engaged employees was into the “quiet quitter” (aka not engaged) category as opposed to actively disengaged.

Gallup surveys representative samples of the working population to gauge employee engagement in relation to various workplace factors such as profitability, productivity, customer service, retention, safety, and well-being. For the 2022 results, Gallup surveyed 15,000 part- and full-time American employees quarterly. The outcomes represent an average over the four quarters.

Additional findings: