Employee Satisfaction Has Hit a Historic Low

In 2024, employee engagement reached an 11-year low, employee satisfaction returned to a record low, and employees were seeking new jobs at the highest level since 2015, Gallup found.

Why are workers feeling this way? Gallup found seven in 10 employees (73%) said their organization has experienced some level of disruptive change during the past year. The more disruption employees experienced, the more likely they are to feel burned out. Managers are reporting disruption from the restructuring of teams (55%) and additional job responsibilities for employees (69%), while nearly half (46%) report budget cuts.

Most (56%) of employees report also noticing changes in customer expectations since the pandemic, with 71% of those employees attributing changes to more demanding customers or higher expectations for a better digital experience.

The pandemic also caused many workers to reevaluate what they want from their career and employer. Work-life balance and better compensation packages became more significant to employees, along with expectations for remote work flexibility.

Additionally, most leaders said they have very little confidence in their performance management systems, leaving organizations without a reliable way to clarify expectations, align teams, recognize achievements, and develop employees, Gallup found.

Gallup suggested that employers should offer clarity of work expectations and reconnect employees to the company’s mission and purpose.