We’ve talked a lot this year about Gallup’s Daily Survey to measure employee engagement rates in the US. Back in the beginning of the year we experienced some higher than normal rates, then followed by relatively similar rates since then. The survey shows for the month of October, out of the random sample of 7,273 employed US adults aged 18 and above, an average of 32.1% considered themselves to be engaged in their jobs.
Engagement is classified based on its key workplace elements including staff feeling that their opinions are listened to at work, having the opportunity to use their talents each day, and having support from leaders or managers who encourage their individual development.
Engaged employees are more enthusiastic about their own work and the success of the company as a whole, meaning that they can significantly impact a company’s productivity and success. According to Gallup’s previous in depth research, employee engagement is linked with business outcomes that directly affect an organization’s bottom line.
Interestingly, employee engagement in the US is experiencing its longest period of stability since the Gallup Daily Surveys began in 2011. As of March 2015, monthly averages have remains at a similar level- whereas in the past they have tended to fluctuate greatly over the course of the year.
In 2015 alone the engagement metric has been higher than it was between 2011 and 2013. So far this year it hasn’t fallen below 31%, and if the average above 31% continues for the final months of the year, the 2015 average will be slightly above last year’s average of 31.5%. The most engaged year yet!
Of course, while the stability and the figures are all positive, it still shows that the majority of the US workforce is not engaged- and on average, the nation has only two employees per “actively disengaged” employee. So it’s safe to say there is a ton of room for growth.
Read more about October’s engagement rates here.
