Dive Brief:
- Workers "engaged" in their jobs averaged just 32.7% in May — a number that puts it at the high end of monthly averages on record, according to Gallup, which regularly tracks engagement metrics. That number also comes on the heels of two straight months when engagement averages were 33% or higher — among the best results in Gallup's history of measuring engagement.
- The Gallup article mentions employee engagement had been on the upswing over the past few years, citing stability during 2015. And by December 2015, a 32.8% engagement metric indicated a potential change for the better (along with recent 33% ratings).
- Broken down, the May report found 50.9% of employees were "not engaged" and 16.4% were "actively disengaged," Gallup reports, adding that it based May's engagement average using daily tracking interviews of 7,327 U.S. working adults.
Dive Insight:
It's not all doom and gloom, Gallup reports, noting that employers continue to make "incremental progress," keeping engagement close to the rare 33.0% figure.
More good news? Gallup's monthly averages in June 2014 and 2015 exceeded May averages in those years, so maybe 2016 will see more of the same and engagement will hit or even crack 33%. But before we make to much of that stat, engagement averages so far in June are not even hitting 32.0%. Could it mean a return to 2015 levels?
Perhaps the real irony is employers consistently talk about how critical it is to boost engagement, yet the key to unlocking that goal remains elusive.
