Global employee engagement slumps to 5-year low

Last year, low engagement cost the world economy approximately $10 trillion in lost productivity, or nine per cent of GDP, according to the report.

Manager engagement drives decline

The report attributed the declining engagement levels to falling manager engagement.

Since 2022, manager engagement has dropped by nine percentage points, with the biggest year-on-year decline recorded last year, with a drop of five points.

“In short, managers used to enjoy an ‘engagement premium’ at work, but they are increasingly only as engaged as those they lead,” the report read.

But falling manager engagement can still be prevented, according to the findings, as it noted that 79% of managers in best-practice organisations are engaged at work.