U.S. remote employees’ connection to the company’s mission and purpose is declining, according to a Gallup report published August 24.
Only 28% of those polled say they feel connected to the organization’s purpose. It is the lowest on record, tying with 2011 results for this group and an unintentional result of physical separation.
Polling approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time employees, the survey found that employees who are “actively disengaged” has dropped from 18% in 2022 to 16% at the midpoint of 2023. While employee engagement is up two percentage points, from 32% in 2022 to 34%, it follows two years of decline.
Respondents were asked about specific workplace factors including productivity, retention, safety, and overall wellbeing. The survey also measures several workplace elements, including employees’ level of agreement about opportunities for development, consideration of their input considered, and connection to the mission or purpose of the organization.
“The most worrying finding in the latest survey — especially in a workplace that is increasingly hybrid and remote — is that employees who can do their work remotely have an eroding connection to the mission or purpose of the organization,” Jim Harter, Chief Scientist for Gallup’s workplace management and wellbeing practices, wrote.
Employees saw the most improvement in clarity of expectations, access to materials and equipment, and opportunities to do what they are good at. But all these areas are still below pre- pandemic levels.
Employee engagement was largely connected to enthusiasm for both the work and workplace. For employees who disengaged, the report found that their workplace needs were unmet, resulting in disloyalty to the company.
While remote work can work, it will require “exceptional” managers who can provide meaningful connection through weekly conversations, Harter explained.
The margin of error is plus or minus 3 points for full-time employees who are exclusively remote, plus or minus 2 points for hybrid and on-site employees and plus or minus 4 points for on- site but remote- capable employees. For the full report, click here.
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Director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative, an associate editor, host of the Good Faith Media podcast, “The Raceless Gospel” and author of Take Me to the Water: The Raceless Gospel as Baptismal Pedagogy for a Desegregated Church.