After going up in recent years, employee engagement in the U.S. saw its first annual decline in a decade, dropping from 36% in 2020 to 34% in 2021, according to Gallup data.
This pattern has continued into early 2022, as 32% of full- and part-time employees working for organizations were engaged, while 17% are actively disengaged, an increase of one percentage point from the previous year.
The researchers said that some of the elements that decreased the most during this period were people's level of agreement that they have clear expectations, the right materials and equipment, the opportunity to do what they do best every day, and a connection to the mission or purpose of their organization.
But to get a better understanding of how these factors manifest in real life, let's take a look at the Instagram account 'Employed AF.' It shares memes about the struggles in jobs from all sorts of industries, hilariously describing what it's like to be a part of the modern workforce.
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Finally, we have great relationships. According to McKee, people join an organization and leave a boss, so a dissonant relationship with your superior is downright painful.
But so too are bad relationships with colleagues. Leaders, managers, and employees have all told the researchers that close, trusting, and supportive relationships are hugely important to their state of mind — and their willingness to contribute to a team.
Emotions matter a lot at work, and happiness is important to everyone. To find out more about the stuff that gets in its way, open up our previous publication on the 'Employed AF' Instagram account.
