25 must-know employee engagement stats, data, and trends (with infographic)

Both small and large organizations constantly strive to boost the engagement of their employees. But only a few companies achieve the desired results at the end of the day.

That’s because most of these engagement tactics are done without proper homework. An employee engagement game plan developed without the backing of intelligence and data is like shooting in the dark. It’s half-baked.

In this blog, I have done the homework for you (you can thank me later.😊)

25 eye-opening statistics about employee engagement in the workplace

The following data and insights will answer some of the burning questions like:

• How employee engagement affects businesses?

• Who are the most disengaged workers?

• What motivates and engages employees?

• What causes employees to leave a company?

So, let’s dive in!

1. Companies focusing on internal mobility retain staff for 5.4 years on average, almost twice as long as the average retention duration of 2.9 years. (LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report, 2022)

One of the most important, yet the most ignored, employee engagement strategies is internal mobility. Internal mobility is giving your workers the opportunity to grow by entrusting them with new job roles. That doesn’t mean putting all job roles for sale.

Most of the modern generation of workers are constantly developing in their careers and acquiring new skills. Internal mobility allows them to apply these skills in a way that helps both the organization and the employee.

2. 78% of employees in a survey believed that appreciation can inspire them to work better. (Officevibe)

Organizations should never run out of ways to appreciate their employees. Lack of employee recognition has time and again been considered as one of the biggest reasons behind employee disengagement.

3. According to 2022 Gallup reports, among the US workforce, the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged workers is 1.9: 1. This is significantly lower than the 2019 results that showed an annual ratio of 2.7: 1. (Gallup)

The rising number of disengaged workers is causing many managers to lose sleep. Some believe that the coronavirus pandemic was a contributing factor, while others say that there are a number of other reasons and the pandemic was only a catalyst.

4. By 2032, sales of integrated employee engagement software would grow at a CAGR of approximately 11.0%. (Employee Engagement Market Outlook)

Greetings cards and team lunches are now falling short to engage workers. The new generation of employees wants to make progress faster and technology is the best bet. Employee review platforms, digital signage solutions, and intranets & training apps are all to come to the rescue.

5. Millennials and Gen Zs (born after the year 1989) are the least engaged workers according to a Gallup study. They comprise 54% of the ‘Quiet Quitters’ who do their job only for the sake of it. (Wall Street Journal Report)

Engaging millennials in the workplace is a lot different than engaging older workers. For instance, every millennial And Gen Z employee is a digital native; they appreciate it when organizations make their life easier through modern technology.

6. Teams constituting engaged workers make 23% more profit in business. (CNBC report)

High-performing teams are invariably comprised of highly motivated individuals. Engaged employees are self-driven and perform faster and that reflects in your overall revenues.

7. 60% of employees in the workplace are not emotionally attached to their work. (Gallup’s State of the Global workplace’ report 2022)

Emotional attachment to work only happens if employees’ personal growth is connected to their task achievements. Frequent pats on the back, a seats at the discussion table, giving go-ahead to ideas― all contribute to developing an emotional attachment.

8. The biggest reason behind the lack of employee engagement is unfair treatment at work. (CNBC report)

Even the best employees will lose engagement if they feel their work is not appreciated enough. Workplace bias, pay disparity, and lack of respect are some of the issues majorly reported as unfair treatment at work.

9. On an average, it takes more than a 20% hike in salary to convince an engaged employee to leave their current job. (CNBC report)

Employers find it challenging to lure engaged workers. That is because contrary to popular belief, salary is not the only and the most important factor for an employee to stick to a job. Many high-paying jobs are emotionally draining and affect the employees personal well-being.

5. Worldwide, disengaged employees create a productivity loss of 7.8 trillion dollars. This is the same as 11 % of the global GDP. (CNBC report)

Employee productivity is directly related to employee engagement. Disengaged employees are less creative and tend to make more mistakes than engaged workers. It not only hinders their individual task achievements but also slows down the entire organization’s machinery.

11. Engaged employees are 87% less likely to resign from an organization. (Inc.)

Companies that struggle to retain employees figure out why employees are leaving in the first place. Engaged employees are not only easier to retain, but they also don’t give the management the scare of resignation.

12. Employees who receive regular feedback show higher engagement at work. 43% of engaged employees receive weekly feedback. (Officevibe)

Several surveys have shown that employees secretly wish for more feedback. It isn’t always an expectation of a “well done;” rather, constructive feedback that helps them understand the company’s vision and expectations better.

13. 4 in every 10 employees lack engagement at workplace due to little or no feedback. (Officevibe)

The above data should ring alarm bells for managers who believe that their team members are wise enough to figure it out on their own.

14. Only 50% of workers globally agree that their organizations have adequate workforce to meet the workload; the rest disagree. (Kincentric)

Overburdening your employees and engaging them in tasks not related to their skills is something many organizations are often accused of. Such companies have a mindset that it adds to their revenue through cost-cutting but in reality, it brings huge losses.

15. Employee engagement tactics can also lead to burnouts. According to a Yale University survey conducted with 1000 US workers, 1 in 5 people revealed experiencing high engagement and high burnout. (Harvard Business Review)

Excessive employee engagement tactics and the demand for participation in unnecessary events not only distracts the employees from their core activities, it can also lead to burnout.

16. The Sapien Labs’ Mental Health Million Project, examined 48,000 people between 18–24 years in 34 nations. They reported that mental well-being declined in this age group due to the pandemic. (Harvard Business Review)

The GenZ workforce is increasingly becoming disengaged with remote and hybrid work model. Organizations operating in these models should evaluate and support the mental well-being of their young employees and also think of ways to engage them socially.

17. 39% of employees have fallen asleep during meetings. (Inc.)

Many surveys have shown that organizations waste significant time with frequent meetings that are often unnecessary. The above statistic gives you a reason to re-evaluate your meeting frequencies.

18. 73% of workers in a survey admitted that in-person meetings help to strengthen professional relationships. (Inc.)

While there are several benefits of working from home, one of the biggest disadvantages that have slowly emerged over the past two years is the lack of personal and casual interactions among team members.

19. 30% of remote employees admit feeling anxious after a week full of virtual meetings. (Forbes)

Virtual meetings are increasingly becoming all about achieving targets. There is any personal touch, candid conversation, or a space to discuss and understand each other’s problems.

20. By 2032, the global employee engagement market will be worth US$3.8 billion. (Employee Engagement Market Outlook)

The growth in the employee engagement market indicates that businesses are struggling tremendously in this aspect.

21. Employees are 8 times more engaged when senior leaders create a sense of excitement about the future. (Kincentric)

Leaders are called ’leaders’ for a reason. It is true that when a leader can infuse a sense of purpose among the juniors, employees tend to function better.

22. Ireland has the highest productivity per hour at $99.13. (World Population Review)

Full-time Irish workers put in roughly 39.7 hours per week while about 11.1% of US employees work more than 50 hours a week. This indicates a correlation between working hours and employee productivity.

23. About 75% of millennial workers are mostly concerned with their professional development and work culture within an organization. (Team Stage)

Engaging your millennial employees will require an organization structure to facilitate career growth, skill enhancement and internal mobility.

24. US businesses are forced to spend $2.9 million every day looking for replacement employees. (Team Stage)

Focusing more on employee engagement is better than plugging the hole with massive investments in retaining talent at your company.

25. In the Q2 2022, the 3 top drivers of employee attrition in Australia are manager quality, respect, and people management. (Gartner Newsroom)

It has been pointed out in various survey results that a key contributor to employee disengagement is lack of respect and a toxic work culture. More emphasis should be done on training the management In workplace ethics.

Related articles:

• Are your employees engaged?

• 7 Ways digital signage improves employee engagement

• Examples, types & strategies of corporate communication

• Planning to call your employees back to office? You will need these tips