Gallup's 'State of the Global Workplace' Report 2025
- James Blair
- May 6
- 5 min read
Gallup has just released the latest instalment of their excellent “State of the Global Workforce” report. We highly recommend you download the report and take a look for yourself. But if you haven’t got time right now to sift through 141 pages of data, charts and summary findings, we’ve done what we do every year, and pulled out some of the key findings for you. So, grab a cuppa and a biscuit and digest these bite-sized chunks with your digestive.
We’re not going to lie. It’s not a particularly happy read! There are some quite alarming (and alarmist) headlines and chunks of data in this report.
It starts off by telling us that we’re standing at a defining crossroads in the world of work. Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries at breakneck speed, but just as this technological revolution accelerates, employee engagement — the very fuel for productivity and performance — is in worrying decline.
This year’s report paints a clear picture: this could be our last snapshot of the workforce before AI becomes truly embedded in every role and sector. And it shows that while AI brings promise, it also poses a risk, especially if we overlook the critical role of managers in keeping teams engaged, motivated, and thriving.
The Manager Engagement Crisis
Global engagement fell in 2024, costing the world economy a staggering US$438 billion in lost productivity. That marks only the second decline in 12 years — the first being during the COVID lockdowns. And this one matches that one in the size of the drop.
The primary driver? A drop in manager engagement.
Since the pandemic, managers have faced mounting pressure — balancing new leadership expectations with shifting employee demands around flexibility, wellbeing, and purpose. It’s catching up with them. Manager engagement fell from 30% to 27% in 2024 — a significant drop, especially considering that no other worker group saw as steep a decline. Young managers (under 35) dropped by five points, and female managers by seven.
This is more than a managerial issue — it’s a business performance issue. Disengaged managers lead disengaged teams. And disengaged teams are less productive, more likely to be absent, and less successful with customers. The effects ripple all the way to national economies.
A Workforce Under Pressure
Over the last five years, organisations have endured near-constant disruption. Gallup lists the following:
post-pandemic retirements and turnover
a hiring boom and bust
rapidly restructured teams and departments
shrinking budgets as stimulus programs ended
disrupted supply chains
new customer expectations
digital transformation and Al tools
new employee desires regarding flexibility and remote work
Through it all, managers have been the glue — but they’re fraying. And if we don’t support them, the consequences are serious: not just lost productivity, but rising burnout, poor wellbeing, and a further erosion of workplace culture.
Engagement and Wellbeing Go Hand-in-Hand
Engagement doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It's deeply connected to how people feel in life overall.
Half of engaged employees say they are thriving in life — compared to just one-third of those who are disengaged. And engaged employees, unsurprisingly, report fewer negative emotions like daily stress and frustration.
When manager wellbeing slips, it doesn’t just impact them, it impacts everyone they lead. Burnout among leaders spreads quickly, and without intervention, becomes a cultural norm.
The Global Picture
Engagement at work sits globally at 21%.
If you find that as upsetting as we do, hold on to your hairdos.
Europe had the lowest regional percentage of engaged employees in the world. It has flatlined at 13% since 2021.
And the UK? Well, we sit in 30th place out of the 38 countries surveyed, with no change, year-on-year, at just 10%. That’s right, according to Gallup’s data, only one in ten of our employees is feeling engaged.
The report doesn’t list “not engaged” and “actively disengaged” data for the UK, but for Europe as a whole, those figures are a terrifying 73% and 15% respectively.
Intent to leave (watching for or actively seeking a new job) sits at 30% across Europe and in the UK. That’s actually quite a bit lower than the global average of 50%, but having nearly one in three of our people wanting to leave is nothing to celebrate. And not wanting to leave but being disengaged is also a really concerning combination.
There Is a Way Forward
Amidst the doom and gloom, there is reason for optimism. Gallup’s report shows that in best-practice organisations, engagement levels reach 70%. And if we apply those lessons globally, the upside is staggering: US$9.6 trillion in additional productivity. That’s the equivalent of a 9% boost in global GDP.
So how do we get there?
Gallup recommends the following:
Train every manager. Only 44% of managers globally have received formal management training. But when they do, disengagement rates halve. Training builds confidence, consistency, and the capability to lead through change.
Teach great coaching. Coaching isn’t just a soft skill — it’s a performance lever. Gallup found that trained managers improved their own engagement by 22%, and their teams by up to 18%. Coaching boosts outcomes across the board, including key performance metrics.
Invest in manager wellbeing. Ongoing development, clear priorities, and supportive cultures reduce burnout and create resilience. When managers feel good, they lead better — and everyone benefits.
And, of course, whilst disengaged managers is a huge focus of this year’s report, that’s not to say that’s where the focus should end. Looking at the data in this report, we think it’s time for a lot of us to take a hard look at our internal commsstrategies and offerings.
If your strategy isn’t crystal clear, fully modern, and built for today’s workforce, it’s time for a health check. A strong internal comms offering is the backbone of a great employee experience — and the foundation for higher engagement, better alignment, and a more connected culture.
Start now, and you’ll be setting your business up for sharper messaging, stronger teams, and a workplace where people feel informed, included, and inspired.
For more advice and tips, why not check out some of our other blogs?
Or, reach out for a chat! We'd love to see how we can help you to really kick ass with your internal comms!
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