In 2022, U.S. employee engagement continued its fall, slipping to 32%, while 18% are actively disengaged. Active disengagement increased by two percentage points from 2021 and four points from 2020, according to Gallup. Employee engagement is defined as the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and workplace.
Gallup’s annual survey measures several workplace elements, including employees' level of agreement about clarity of expectations, opportunities for development and their opinions counting at work. In short, 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.
According to Gallup, the biggest obstacle to increasing employee engagement is that it is widely considered "an HR thing." Employee engagement is not owned by executives, expected by managers nor understood by front-line employees. What is HR’s role? Here’s a start.