Employee engagement declined to 21 per cent in the past year, with managers seeing the biggest drop in engagement levels, according to a new global survey from Gallup.
These figures show that the UK fared poorly, with British workers being among the most disengaged in Europe, with many saying they feel under-appreciated in the workplace.
Looking at the global figures this is only the second decline in engagement levels recorded by Gallup in the past 12 years — which may be a sign organisations will struggle with productivity.
The survey also showed employees ‘life evaluations’ declined for the second consecutive year, with managers again experiencing the most significant drops in satisfaction levels.
The results back previous UK surveys of employer engagement. Reward Gateway/ Edenred chief appreciation officer Nebel Crowhurst, says: “It comes as no surprise that British workers are amongst the saddest and most disengaged in Europe.
“Recent research from Reward Gateway found that employers in the UK are suffering from an appreciation crisis, with women and those in large organisations specifically suffering the most.
It’s clear from today’s report that in order for the UK employees’ outlook to improve, businesses must adjust their wellbeing and HR strategies.
“The results of employees feeling more appreciated are there for all to see. The Reward Gateway report found appreciation to be a key driver of workplace success, with 88 per cent reportedly working harder, 73 per cent taking on extra work, and 91 per cent feeling more engaged.”
Crowhurst adds: “Also raised in today’s Gallup report was that stressed-out managers are cited as the primary cause for fall in employee engagement.
“Stress and its impact on employees is not a novel phenomenon, though this may be a driver of why it’s been normalised in the workplace. There is a general expectation that employees must ‘carry on’ with their work despite experiencing declining mental health and symptoms of burn-out like detachment, irritability and exhaustion. While younger generations are being more mindful of mental wellbeing, businesses need to make this a priority in their workplaces.
“Stress creates a dampener on workplace culture, and more importantly, tears down employees and their mood, productivity and motivation to try harder and do better. Especially within the UK amidst the push to ‘Get Britain Working Again’, it’s crucial organisations take initiatives to make stress-free workplaces, so employees actually look forward to cracking on with their work.”
