20 Employee Engagement Statistics You Should Know For 2024
In today's workplace, staying current on the latest trends in employee engagement isn't just beneficial—it's essential. As we get deeper into 2024, learning about the dynamics of workplace engagement can significantly impact organizational success.
Drawing on recent findings from industry leaders like Gallup, Calm, and BetterWorks. We've curated a list of 18 critical statistics encapsulating the current state of employee engagement. These employee engagement statistics provide an overview of what drives higher engagement, common issues companies face, and innovative strategies to combat them.
Whether you're looking to refine your HR strategies, benchmark your company's performance, or stay ahead of the curve, these statistics offer valuable guidance. They reflect broader trends in corporate culture and employee expectations and shed light on the effectiveness of new tools and methods in enhancing employee engagement.
What is Employee Engagement
If you search Google for “employee engagement ideas,” you’ll surely come across many articles that share ideas like “bring your dogs to the office” or “plan team-building activities.” While these might be good ideas that can help boost culture and morale, genuine efforts to improve employee engagement go much deeper than these types of surface-level initiatives.
For example, engaged employees are more likely to agree with some of the following comments:
- In this organization, the leaders demonstrate integrity.
- I find my job rewarding and challenging.
- My employer cares about my opinions and suggestions.
Interestingly, in this Psychology Today article titled "Why Do Employee Engagement Initiatives Fail?" author asserts that "many engagement interventions focus solely on addressing surface-level indicators of engagement." He argues that as a result of this "organizations may implement superficial solutions that fail to address systemic issues such as poor leadership, lack of career development opportunities, or workplace inequities."
As you can see, the experiences of highly engaged people have little to do with the types of social events the company plans or snacks available. True employee engagement has more to do with the quality of the leadership and the emotional and intellectual components of a work environment.
Drivers of employee engagement
That said, if you think about what makes up a truly engaging work environment, you can break these factors down into several components that are shared across industries. These are considered key drivers of employee engagement.
For example:
- Employee stress & Well-being
- Leadership & Management
- Career Advancement & Growth
In our look ahead 2024, we will examine three of the most critical drivers of employee engagement and the related statistics. We’ll see how organizations are faring in each of these categories and what this means for HR professionals for the year ahead.
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20 Employee Engagement Statistics You Should Know For 2024
Employee Sentiment & Engagement
1. 85% of employees are not engaged at work. Gallup
After climbing and reaching a record high in 2022, according to Gallup’s seminal yearly State of The Workplace report, employee engagement has dropped significantly as the majority of employees are not engaged at work.
2. 81% of hybrid employees report high engagement. Quantum Workplace
Engagement rates vary based on work arrangement; hybrid employees have the highest level of engagement, while in-office employees have the lowest (72%), and fully remote employees are in between (78%).
3. Businesses that actively engage their employees see an 18% decrease in staff turnover. Gallup
It’s no surprise that actively working to improve employee engagement leads to better outcomes in employee engagement levels within an organization.
4. Office workers, salespeople, and construction workers have the lowest level of engagement among employees, with a mere 12% rate. Gallup
Employee engagement in manufacturing has always been challenging. Due to the inherently difficult working conditions of these environments, HR professionals in these settings have additional obstacles to overcome when it comes to employee engagement.
5. Only 16% of employees use technology to track their engagement levels. Gartner
Many tools and software technologies exist that can help companies and their HR teams track employee engagement more objectively via employee surveys and other measures. Despite the widespread availability of these tools, companies that use them to track engagement are the minority.
6. Half of employees surveyed feel negative about their organization, using words such as “toxic” or “tumultuous” to describe their workplace. Calm
Unfortunately, such a high number of employees feel negative about their work culture and environment. A toxic work culture has been known to be a core driver of employee turnover; identifying the root of this cultural dysfunction is critical to treating and addressing the core of the issue.
Employee Stress & Wellness
7. 52% of employees reported they experienced a lot of stress the previous day. Gallup
According to Gallup’s yearly State of the Workplace report, employee stress, unfortunately, remains at an all-time high. In the U.S. and Canada, employee stress is even higher, with over half of employees reporting high stress levels at work
8. 85% of HR professionals indicate overworked staff is a pressing challenge. Dialogue
Canadian health tech company Dialogue’s yearly State of Workplace Health and Wellness in Canada report shows that the top challenge faced by HR professionals is the “overworked staff.” This comes after the number one concern of “employee mental health.”
9. 56% of workers said that their level of work-related stress has increased since last year. Owl Labs
Echoing the data found in Gallup’s and Dialogue’s report, OwlLab's yearly State of Hybrid Work Report shows that worker stress has significantly increased. The report also found that worker stress is more of an issue for employees in large companies than for employees in smaller companies.
10. 4 in 10 working Canadians (37%) report that their employers do not prioritize mental health. Dialogue
This is surprising considering that the same study found 86% of HR leaders affirming their companies value employee mental health — highlighting a significant gap between employer actions and employee perceptions.
11. The top mental health stressor in 2024 is the cost of living/inflation. Calm
In Calm app’s 2024 Voices of the Workplace report, they found the top mental health stressor to be increasing the cost of living, followed by financial instability and being overworked. Again, these findings reflect the data provided by Dialogue, showing 85% of HR professionals saying “overworked staff” is their most pressing challenge.
Management & Leadership
12. Only 23% of U.S. employees strongly agree that they trust the leadership of their organization. Gallup
According to Gallup’s yearly State of the Workplace report, employee trust in leadership has dwindled since the onset of the pandemic.
13. 52% of employees state “a supportive manager” as a “very important” factor in their satisfaction at work. Owl Labs
OwlLab’s report analyzed different factors influencing employee satisfaction, and good management came ahead of other factors like benefits, growth opportunities, and the ability to work flexibly in days.
14. 72% of Canadian workers strongly agreed that lacking resources and support from leadership is a top contributor to poor mental health. Dialogue
In Dialogue’s yearly report, they examined the factors that impact employees' mental health, top factors included financial situation, job satisfaction, and work-life balance.
15. Only 38% of employees say their manager fosters a low-stress work environment. Calm
Unfortunately, Calm’s yearly report also found that the majority of employees aren’t satisfied with how their managers promote a healthy work environment and manage stress. Only about half (49%) of employees claim that their manager genuinely cares about their well-being.
Career Advancement & Growth
16. According to 42% of employees, better career opportunities is one of the top reason for seeking a new job. OwlLabs
Seeking new and better work opportunities has often been anecdotally cited as a reason employees quit their jobs. OwlLab’s report confirms this trend is still holding strong. Other top factors for employees seeking new job opportunities include better compensation and work-life balance.
17. 63% of HR professionals agree that employee career development is a significant challenge for their business. Dialogue
Diglogue’s yearly report cites employee career development as one of the most significant challenges for HR professionals, along with factors like employee mental health and overworked employees.
18. 37% of organizations plan to invest more in training and development, making it the most common investment area. SHRM
According to SHRM’s State of the Workplace Report, a large portion of the companies surveyed plan to invest more in employee training and development in 2024.
19. 28% of employees stated that compensation was their reason for leaving a job. Pumble
Some new employee engagement statistics published by Pumble show that compensation seems to be the biggest issue for employee retention, along with a lack of career progression and more work flexibility. This result is consistent with the findings from OwlLab’s report as well.
20. 86% of employees say skill development and coaching are important to them, but only 54% are receiving it. BetterWorks
Unfortunately, BetterWork’s yearly State of Performance Enablement Report found a big disconnect between employees' wishes for greater career and skill development and the amount they actually receive from their managers and employers.
This issue may be the result of inadequate career and development training for middle managers. The same report found that only about 1 in 3 middle managers said they have the clarity, support, and resources from executives to succeed at coaching employees effectively in skills and career development.
Final Thoughts
Exploring these recent employee engagement studies and statistics, we can see some obvious trends and patterns in the workplace in 2024.
Some findings might surprise you, such as engagement levels being highest among hybrid employees and not those who are fully remote. However, other findings present a more dismal view of the workplace, such as persistent reports of employee’s being overworked, stressed, and suffering from financial worries and hardships.
From the institutionalization of remote work to the importance of mental health support, these insights highlight the evolving landscape of employee engagement. As organizations navigate these shifts, prioritizing strategies to foster connection, purpose, and well-being will be essential for driving success in the future of work.
