Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace report (2024) finds that 77% of employees worldwide are not engaged at work.

I’m not buying it. Here’s why:

Why are the numbers so dire? Part of the answer can be in how engagement is defined, the sample, or the methodology. But I have two big concerns.

One is that these stats can encourage opportunists who push quick-fix solutions: this technology or this program is the answer.

They can also let leaders off the hook who might think, “Hey we’re doing pretty good! We’re not as bad as that!”

Here’s what I’m sure we all agree on—low employee engagement is a serious issue. In my view, any level of disengagement is a red flag.

What are your thoughts? Do you believe disengagement is as high as reported by Gallup? How’s your organization doing? Do you concur with the five traits I mention in the video that enable environments with high levels of engagement?

This blog post is from Issue #53 of The Edge of Service Newsletter®. Access this issue and past issues here.