While more people are committed to and enthusiastic about their work than at any time since Gallup began measuring employee engagement in 2000, the overall number still represents less than a third of all workers.
In its latest employee engagement survey, Gallup found that only 31.5% of employees reported being actively engaged in what they do for a living.
Gallup’s most recent employee engagement survey was conducted from January to December 2014. It involved a random sampling of 80,837 employed adults age 18 and over in the United States.
Fifty percent of respondents were interviewed via cellphones while the other half was reached via landlines.
Workplace engagement is defined by Gallup as employees who are actively involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work.
Engagement numbers for 2014 are up over 2013 and represent the highest positive results since 2000, Gallup reported.
The 31.5% from 2014 is an increase over the 29.6% logged in 2013. The number of workers who are not engaged is down slightly at 51% in 2014 versus 51.5% in 2013.
Actively disengaged workers represented about 17.5% of the workforce in 2014 compared to the 18.8% recorded in 2013.
Management is the Most Engaged
Gallup researchers broke out results based on employment category. Managers logged the highest engagement results in 2014 at 38.4% versus their engagement level of 34.7% in 2013.
Other classifications of workers and their engagement levels are:
- Farming, fishing or forestry – 36% in 2013, 33.6% in 2014
- Professional – 30% in 2013, 33.6% in 2014
- Construction or mining – 21.5% in 2013, 32.2% in 2014
- Clerical or office – 29.3% in 2013, 31.8% in 2014
- Installation or repair – 28.5% in 2013, 31.3% in 2014
- Sales – 29.2% in 2013, 30.6% in 2014
The Generation Gap
Gallup also found that engagement levels vary based on an employee’s generation with Millennials having the lowest engagement level of all employees in the workplace in 2014 at 28.9%, up slightly from 2013’s 27.5%. Other generational results were:
- Generation X – 29.6% in 2013, 32.3% in 2014
- Baby boomers – 30.9% in 2013, 32.7% in 2014
- Traditionalists – 38.3% in 2013, 42.2% in 2014
While high employee engagement is absent from more than half the workforce, Gallup notes the numbers are the strongest since 2000.
The rise, researchers believe, could be connected to the growth in positive perceptions and the job market and economy as the GDP improves and lower unemployment levels are experienced.
