According to a recent Gallup survey, more Americans are feeling detached from their current jobs.
The company interviewed more than 10,000 workers who said they were currently seeking new employment.
Gallup’s research found that employee satisfaction at the workplace has reached a 10-year low. Gallup calls it the “Great Detachment.”
Gallup said there were several reasons why workers were feeling this way.
Post 2020, many companies saw a record amount of high turnover and hiring. 73% of employees said work experienced some level of disruptive change in the past year and it was having a negative “burned out” effect. 69% of employees said their workload increased and 46% said their company was cutting their budgets.
Out of the 1,900 U.S. companies surveyed, nearly 50% reported they cut their budgets for salary increases in 2024.
56% of employees said they noticed changes in customer expectations since COVID-19, where the demands created more work.
Gallup says when they surveyed employees, they would comment that before COVID, their employer had a clearer role on expectations, but since 2021
More than 50% of employees now say they don’t know what is expected of them at work.
Employees also said they had witnessed a rapid decline in the connection to the company mission. In March of 2021, it was 38%. It dropped to a record low of 30% in 2024.
“The Great Detachment indicates that many employees are struggling to navigate new priorities and new ways of working. They are also questioning the meaning and purpose of their work, which have yet to be answered. This presents a challenge for companies that want to retain their talent, strengthen their culture, and grow their business,” said Gallup.
