The 2017 release of Gallup’s State of the Global Workforce states that highly-engaged workforces are 17% more productive and 21% more profitable than those in the bottom quartile. Employee engagement is one of the key indicators of effectiveness and efficiency among organizations across the globe. This can be applied to any company by asking three simple questions:
- How engaged is the global workforce?
- How does the U.S. workforce compare?
- How does engagement apply to your employees and organization?
How engaged is the global workforce? According to Gallup’s 2017 report, 32% of “working-aged adults” are employed in a full-time position. Of those global workers that are employed full-time, only 15% are engaged, or highly involved and enthusiastic about their work and employer.
How does the U.S. workforce compare? Referencing our Glass Half Empty or Half Full blog post (2015 data), the United States is well-above the global average of employee engagement at a mark of 32% of actively engaged employees, 50.8% not engaged, and 17.2% actively disengaged. Gallup reports that actively disengaged workers cost the US economy approximately $550 billion annually. According to Gallup’s 2017 report, that number is now as high as $605 billion.
How does engagement apply to your employees and organization? In the coming weeks I will discuss how employee engagement is directly correlated to productivity, profitability, retention (and more), and how it can be positively affected by human resource solutions, such as employee recognition and employee safety programs. So stay tuned!
For now, contact us to learn how a well-designed employee recognition strategy can benefit your organization.