Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Report (data from 2025, published April 2026) puts global engagement at 20% — the lowest reading since the pandemic year. Sixty-four percent of employees are not engaged. Sixteen percent are actively disengaged. Low engagement cost the world economy about $10 trillion in lost productivity last year, or roughly 9% of GDP.
That is not a vibe. It is a second consecutive annual drop from the 23% peak in 2022–2023. Each lost point is on the order of 21 million fewer engaged people. Europe sits at 12%. Exclusive remote work, where it exists, still shows 30%. The story is not “people hate offices.” The story is that most workplaces still do not make opinion count between surveys.
- 200912%
- 201922%
- 202020%
- 2022–23 peak23%
- 202421%
- 202520%
Share of employees Gallup classifies as engaged. Peak 23% in 2022 and 2023; 20% in 2025.
“My opinion counts” is the missing operating system
Gallup’s Q12 item “At work, my opinions seem to count” is one of the most predictive engagement elements they publish. Globally, about one in four employees strongly agree. Gallup estimates that doubling that ratio is associated with a 22% reduction in turnover, a 33% reduction in safety incidents, and a 10% increase in productivity.
A yearly survey cannot produce that feeling. A comment box that a manager can reverse-search cannot produce it either. People need a channel that is always on, identity-off in the inbox, and visibly acted on.
| Work location | % engaged |
|---|---|
| Exclusively remote | 30% |
| Hybrid | 25% |
| On-site, remote-capable | 24% |
| On-site, non-remote-capable | 17% |
| Managers | 22% |
| Individual contributors | 19% |
Another survey cycle will not buy back $10 trillion
The 2025 report blamed a lot of the previous drop on manager engagement falling. Managers cannot coach what they cannot hear. Continuous anonymous voice gives them the themes without turning every vent into a performance case. That is the difference between measuring engagement and running it.