Workers are historically stressed out and disengaged

Bored at work? Annoyed with your boss? You're not alone.

A new Gallup poll released Tuesday revealed that workers around the world are historically stressed, disengaged with their work and increasingly fighting with their bosses. Gallup's "State of the Global Workplace 2023" examined how "employees feel about their work and their lives, an important predictor of organizational resilience and performance."

Survey results revealed that 59% of workers are "quiet quitting," i.e. are not engaged; and 18% are "loud quitting," which is the act of being actively disengaged (but still employed). Gallup estimated that low engagement is costing the global economy nearly $9 trillion.

Gallup asked employees what would make their jobs better, and the majority of responses — perhaps surprisingly — didn't address pay and benefits, but rather issues such as more autonomy, clear goals and being recognized for their contributions.

Stress at work is at a record-high level, according to Gallup. About 44% of employees surveyed said they experienced "a lot" of stress at work, which matches its 2021 survey results and is continuing a "trend of elevated stress that began almost a decade earlier."

What's contributing to that stress isn't revealed, since Gallup doesn't ask — but the report hypothesizes that internal factors, including work itself and low engagement, plus external factors, such as inflation, are pushing stress levels higher.

More than half — 51% — of all respondents said they're actively looking for a new job; 53% of respondents told Gallup that it's a good time for search for a new job. That's 8% higher than last year, indicating that "deeply unhappy workers are able to leave bad workplaces" and find a career they like, according to the company.

Gallup concludes that leaders need to actively engage with their employees to make them content and that high employee engagement doesn't mean happiness.

"True engagement means your people are psychologically present to do their work. They understand what to do; they have what they need; and they have a supportive manager and a supportive team. They know why their work matters. They are work ready," the report said.