Employee engagement is the goal of every good business leader—and it’s distressingly rare. Worldwide, only 30% of managers and 23% of rank-and-file workers describe themselves as highly involved and enthusiastic at work, according to Gallup. In the U.S. those numbers are 37% and 32%, respectively—higher than those in China, Japan, and most of Europe, but also an 11-year low.
Gallup estimates that low engagement costs the global economy a stunning $8.9 trillion a year, owing to lower productivity and higher turnover. Overwork, boredom, and mental health issues are among the main factors behind the dissatisfaction. One ray of hope: Highly engaged managers often boost the engagement of their direct reports. So: How are you feeling?
This article appears in the August/September 2024 issue of Fortune with the headline, “The global economy’s $8.9 trillion motivation problem.”