Gobs of Facts & Statistics on Employee Engagement, Leadership, & Strengths-Based Cultures

StrenthsFinder Stats & Facts (CliftonStrengths)

People who use their strengths every day are 6x as likely to be engaged on the job.
(Source: Gallup)

 

A team's awareness of its strengths is a better indicator of engagement and performance than the specific composition of strengths. Teams where 90% or more knew their strengths has the best outcomes.
(Source: Gallup study of 11,441 teams)

 

For the employees who agree that their manager focuses on their strengths, active disengagement on the team drops to a measly 1%
(Source: Gallup)

 

⅔ of employees who strongly agree that their manager focuses on their strengths or positive characteristics are engaged on the job.
(Source: Gallup)

 

Teams that focus on strengths every day have 12.5% greater productivity.
(Source: Gallup)

 

Employees who learn to use their strengths are 7.8% more productive on the job and have 14.9% lower turnover.
(Source: Gallup database of strengths-based interventions)

 

An Employee who regularly applies her strengths at work is 5.1x as likely to strongly agree that she knows what is expected of her at work.
(Source: Gallup)

 

An Employee who regularly applies her strengths at work is 6.2x as likely to strongly agree that she has the opportunity to do what she does best every day.
(Source: Gallup)

 

In a study on investing in strengths, performance increased by 1.6x when average performers invested in a skill. Compare that to the 8x gain by those who were already naturally talented at that skill.
(Source: Nebraska School Study Council study of 6,000 speed readers, published in Positive Organizational Scholarship)

 

Focusing on strengths determines whether employees are willing to recommend your company’s products or services to others. In organizations that focus on strengths, 74% will recommend. In those who don’t focus on strengths, only 29% will.
(Source: Gallup)

 

StrengthsFinder Stats - Specifically for Sales Performance

 

Stats & Facts On Employee Engagement and Team Culture

Business units with engaged workers have 23% higher profit compared with business units with miserable workers, along with significantly lower absenteeism, turnover, and accidents.
(Source: Gallup meta-analysis of 103 studies in 11 industries, 111 countries, and 20,021 teams)

 

Only 4 out of 10 employees, who have first hand knowledge of unethical behavior at work, will report it.
(Source: Gallup)

 

60% of people are emotionally detached at work and 19% are miserable.
(Source: 2022 State of The Global Workplace)

 

Only 2 out of 10 employees feel connected to their work culture.
(Source: Gallup)

 

51% of currently employed adults in the U.S. say they are searching for new jobs or watching for new job opportunities.
(Source: Gallup)

 

Employees whose managers involve them in goal setting are 3.6x more likely than other team members to be engaged at work.
(Source: Gallup 2019 Reengineering Performance Study)

 

52.3% of employees are unhappy at work.
(Source: The Conference Board. Data collected by Nielsen, which compiled responses from 1,673 workers.)

 

Managers account for at least 70% of the variance in employee engagement
(Source: Gallup)

 

Gallup estimates that the “not engaged” managers cost US companies between $77 billion to $96 billion annually through their impact on those they manage. When you factor in the impact of “actively disengaged,” those numbers jump to $319 to $398 billion annually.
(Source: Gallup study of 2,564 US managers. 35% engaged. 51% not engaged. 14% actively disengaged.)

 

80% of employees who are dissatisfied with their direct manager are disengaged on the job.
(Source: Dale Carnegie study of 1,500 US employees)

 

70% of your payroll goes to people who aren't engaged in their jobs. Yikes! Only 13% of workers worldwide and 30% in the US are fully engaged in their jobs in 2017. It's a huge amount of lost potential.
(Source: Gallup)

 

If your manager focuses primarily on your weaknesses, the likelihood you’ll be Actively Disengaged is 22%; if your manager focuses primarily on your strengths, that likelihood is only 1%
(Source: Gallup)

 

Only 35% of managers are engaged at work. So what happens to the employees who report to the other 65%?
(Source: Gallup study of 2,564 US managers. 35% engaged. 51% not engaged. 14% actively disengaged.)

 

More than ½ of employees who strongly agree that their manager is open and approachable are engaged on the job.
(Source: Gallup)

 

⅔ of employees who strongly agree that their manager helps them set work priorities and goals are engaged on the job.
(Source: Gallup)

 

75% of employees are highly or moderately engaged in companies with above average customer experience in their industry. In companies that have below average customer experience, only 34% of employees are highly or moderately engaged.
(Source: 2013 Temkin Group Employee Engagement Benchmark study of 2,400 US Employees)

 

Employees who receive strengths feedback from their managers have turnover rates that are 14.9% lower than those for employees who do not.
(Source: Gallup)

 

Teams that receive strengths feedback have 8.9% greater profitability and 12.5% greater productivity.
(Source: Gallup meta-analysis of 103 studies in 11 industries, 111 countries, and 20,021 teams)

 

Stats & Facts On Leadership & Management

 

 

1 in 2 employees have left their job to get away from their manager.
(Source: Gallup study of 7,272 working adults)

 

Only 17% of employees say their managers are actively involved in their career development.
(Source: Right Management-Manpower, study of 616 Canadian & US employees in 2015)

 

⅔ of managers fail to actively engage in their own career development.
(Source: Right Management-Manpower, study of 616 Canadian & US employees in 2015)

 

The top 2 reasons people get promoted are utterly unrelated to their talent for managing people: 1) because they were successful in a previous role, and 2) because they have a lot of tenure or experience
(Source: Gallup)

 

Employees who are supervised by highly engaged managers are 59% more likely to be engaged than those supervised by actively disengaged managers.
(Source: Gallup study of 2,564 US managers. 35% engaged. 51% not engaged. 14% actively disengaged.)

 

Your team is watching what you model. Moods are contagious. Your team members are biologically wired to unconsciously mimic their leader’s emotions. Studies also show you perform better when you’re in a good mood.
(Source: 1990s research on mirror neurons.)

 

When followers trust their leaders, one in two are engaged. When followers don’t find leaders trustworthy, only one in 12 are engaged at work.
(Source: Gallup study of 10,000 people in "follower" roles from 2005-2008).

 

69% who strongly agreed that their leaders made them “feel enthusiastic about the future” were engaged. Only 1% of those who disagreed with the statement were engaged.
(Source: Gallup study of 10,000 people in "follower" roles from 2005-2008).

 

Only 23% of employees in the U.S. trust their leadership at work.
(Source: Gallup)

 

Stats & Facts On Feedback & Recognition

Praise, attention from leaders, and opportunities to lead projects are more effective motivators than performance-based cash rewards, increase in base pay, or stock options
(Source: McKinsey & Company Research - Motivating People: Getting Behind Money)

 

83% of employees said recognition for contributions is more fulfilling than any rewards and gifts.
(Source: Make Their Day and Badgeville Employee Recognition study of over 1,200 workers, 2013)

 

95% of people who are thriving at work report being treated with respect all day and 87% report smiling and laughing a lot.
(Source: 2022 State of The Global Workplace)

 

Only 27% strongly agree that the feedback they receive at work helps them do their job better.
(Source: Gallup 2019 Reengineering Performance Study)

 

The #1 reason employees enjoy their work: “I feel genuinely appreciated by this company.”
(Source: Chicago Tribune survey of over 35,000 employees)

 

More than 80% of employees say they’re motivated to work harder when their boss shows appreciation for their work.
(Source: Business News Daily 2013)

 

69% said that being recognized as an individual was more motivating than being recognized as a team.
(Source: Make Their Day and Badgeville Employee Recognition study of over 1,200 workers, 2013)

 

51% of managers say they do a good job of recognizing a job well done, yet only 17% of employees from the same companies in the study say that their managers recognize them for a job well done.
(Source: SHRM/Globoforce Employee Recognition Survey 2012)

 

71% said the most meaningful recognition they have received had no dollar value; only 14% said their best recognition or reward was of a gift over $1,000.
(Source: Make Their Day and Badgeville Employee Recognition study of over 1,200 workers, 2013)

 

50% say they’d stay longer at their company if they felt more appreciation from their manager.
(Source: Business News Daily 2013)

 

Only 23% of employees agree that they receive recognition in alignment with the contributions they make at work.
(Source: Gallup)

 

Managers who give frequent recognition and genuine encouragement see a 40% increase in productivity.
(Source: Book - “Profit From The Positive” by Margaret Greenberg)

 

76% found praise from their peers to be very or extremely motivating.
88% found praise from their managers to be very or extremely motivating.
(Source: Make Their Day and Badgeville Employee Recognition study of over 1,200 workers, 2013)

 

65% of Americans reported receiving zero recognition for good work in the last year.
(Source: Gallup)

 

51% of employees say they get “no input” or “input only once in awhile” from their bosses.
(Source: 2015 Mercer study of 1,520 US & Canadian employees)

 

The #1 reason people leave their job is that they don’t feel appreciated.
(Source:US Department of Labor)

 

Stats & Facts On Employee Productivity (Performance Goals and Expectations), Retention, and Development

Only 30% of employees strongly agree that their manager involves them in goal setting.
(Source: Gallup 2019 Reengineering Performance Study)

 

89% of managers believe employees leave for more money, yet only 12% of employees report leaving for more money.
(Source: Book - “The 7 Hidden Reasons Employee Leave: How to Recognize the Subtle Signs and Act Before It’s Too Late”)

 

Focusing on strengths improves retention. In organizations that focus on strengths, 85% plan to still be there in 12 months. In those who don’t focus on strengths, only 37% plan to be there.
(Source: Gallup)

 

Only 12% of employees strongly agree that their manager helps them set work priorities.
(Source: Gallup study of 2.5 million manager-lead teams in 195 countries)

 

Only 13% of employees strongly agree that their manager helps them set performance goals.
(Source: Gallup study of 2.5 million manager-lead teams in 195 countries)

 

Only 21% of team members agree that they have performance metrics on the job that are within their control.
(Source: Gallup 2019 Reengineering Performance Study)

 

¾ say they would stay with their current employer if they knew they had a career path.
(Source: 2015 Mercer study of 1,520 US & Canadian employees. Actual stat is 78%)

 

1 in 3 employees think of their work as a job, not a career.
(Source: 2015 Mercer study of 1,520 US & Canadian employees. Actual stat is 32%)

 

More than ¼ of employees have considered quitting and moving to a competitor within the last 12 months.
(Source: 2015 Mercer study of 1,520 US & Canadian employees. Actual stat is 28%)

 

About 85% of adult workers plan to look for a job in the next year.
(Source: Dan Miller, 48 Days To The Work You Love)

 

Facts & Stats on How People Impact Company Performance

When asked if their company makes it easy and transparent to understand opportunities for advancement within the organization, 26% say “not at all” or “hardly ever” and another 27% say “only from time to time.”
(Source: 2015 Mercer study of 1,520 US & Canadian employees.)

 

Business units with engaged workers have 23% higher profit compared with business units with miserable workers.
(Source: 2022 State of The Global Workplace)

 

97% believe a lack of alignment within a team directly impacts the outcome of a task or project. That's just about everyone, and that's scary!
(Source: Salesforce)

 

Only 34% of employees would recommend your company to a friend.
(Source: 2010 Bain study of North American & European employees.)

 

86% say that lack of collaboration or ineffective communication is what causes workplace failures.
(Source: Salesforce)

 

51% of employees say they are actively seeking a new job or watching for one.
(Source: Gallup)

 

Stats & Facts About Performance Reviews, Feedback, and Development

Only 14% of employees strongly agree that the performance reviews they receive inspire them to improve.
(Source: Gallup)

 

Only 8% of managers strongly agree that the performance reviews they receive inspire them to improve.
(Source: Gallup 2019 Reengineering Performance Study)

 

Employees with all three of these factors dominate performance: 1) good fit, 2) high engagement, and 3) 10+ years at an organization -- They perform 18% higher than the average employee and 35% higher than a worker who lacks all three elements. Meanwhile, only 5% of employees meet those three factors.
(Source: Gallup)

 

Only 62% of employers have a leadership development program in place for their new managers.
(Source: 2014 Towers Watson Global Talent Management and Rewards Study of 1,600 organizations)

 

2 of 10 employees agree that their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work.
(Source: Gallup 2019 Reengineering Performance Study)

 

Only 17% of employees prefer to receive feedback annually. The rest prefer weekly or in the moment. Are your annual performance review cycles leaving them hanging?
(Source: 2013 Globoforce workforce mood tracker survey)

 

53% of employees say performance reviews do not motivate them to work harder. What are you doing to engage them at their best?
(Source: 2013 Globoforce workforce mood tracker survey)

 

60% of companies now offer some form of Telecommuting.
(Source: 2015 SHRM Employee Benefits Report)

 

Stats & Facts On Millennial Employees

44% of Millennials plan to quit their job within the next 2 years.
(Source: 2016 Deloitte Millennial Survey from 7,700 full time Millennial employees in 29 countries)

 

52% of Millennials said that career progression was their #1 attraction when selecting an employer.
(Source: 2011 PWC Deloitte Millennial Survey from 4,364 Millennials in 75 countries.)

 

87% of Millennials say development is important in a job.
(Source: 2016 Gallup “How Millennials Want To Work and Live” Report)

 

Nearly 7 in 10 Millennials are engaged on the job...if they strongly agree their manager helps them establish priorities. For those who don’t strongly agree, only 27% are engaged.
(Source: 2016 Gallup “How Millennials Want To Work and Live” Report)

 

54% of Millennials say they know how to prioritize their responsibilities at work, compared with 71% of non-Millennials.
(Source: 2016 Gallup “How Millennials Want To Work and Live” Report)

 

Millennials whose manager holds regular meetings with them are 2.2x more likely to be engaged at work.
(Source: 2016 Gallup “How Millennials Want To Work and Live” Report)

 

93% of Millennials employees say that the last time they changed roles, they left the company to do it.
(Source: 2016 Gallup “How Millennials Want To Work and Live” Report)

 

21% of Millennials have changed jobs within the last year.
(Source: 2016 Gallup “How Millennials Want To Work and Live” Report)

 

50% of Millennials plan to leave their company by next year.
(Source: 2016 Gallup “How Millennials Want To Work and Live” Report)

 

68% of Millennial job seekers said that a work from home benefit would substantially increase their interest in an employer.
(Source: Nucleus Life. See Millennial remote worker infographic for related stats.)

 

6 in 10 Millennials are open to new job opportunities right now.
(Source: 2016 Gallup “How Millennials Want To Work and Live” Report)

 

Millennials who are engaged at work are 64% less likely to plan to switch jobs next year, even if they believe the job market has improved.
(Source: 2016 Gallup “How Millennials Want To Work and Live” Report)

 

Stats & Facts For Teams With Remote, Dispersed, Work From Home, Matrixed, Global Workplaces

51% of employees say they would change jobs for flextime.
(Source: Gallup)

 

35% of team members say they would change jobs for a flexible working location.
(Source: Gallup)

 

74% of employees have the ability to move to different physical spaces to do their work.
(Source: Gallup)

 

52% of employees say they have some choice over when they work.
(Source: Gallup)

 

43% of employees say they work away from their team at least some of the time.
(Source: Gallup)

 

84% of employees are now matrixed to some extent.
(Source: Gallup)

 

Stats And Facts On Wellbeing And Burnout At Work

67% of employees say they are sometimes, very often or always burned out at work.
(Source: Gallup)

 

Employees who say they very often or always experience burnout at work are:

• 63% more likely to take a sick day.
• Half as likely to discuss how to approach performance goals with their managers.
• 23% more likely to visit the emergency room.
• 2.6 times as likely to leave their current employer.
• 13% less confident in their performance.
  (Source: Gallup)

 

Employees who strongly agree that they feel supported by their manager are about 70% less likely to experience burnout on a regular basis.
(Source: Gallup)

 

51% of actively disengaged workers said job stress caused them to behave poorly with loved ones.
(Source: 2022 State of The Global Workplace)