Australia faces disengagement epidemic: Global study

A landmark research study released this week has revealed that the vast majority of Australians are going through the motions or worse in their jobs, with 82% saying they're not fully engaged in their current role.

The study from Gallup finds the bulk of workers (61%) are considered not engaged and are likely emotionally detached and  do little more than is necessary to keep their jobs. Worse still, 21% are actively disengaged, saying they view their workplaces unfavourably and are highly likely to spread their negativity to others.

The report further finds that engagement is not just a theoretical concept. It has real business-related outcomes associated with it. A third (33%) of workers who are not fully engaged have taken at least three sick days in the past month compared to only 11% of engaged workers. This difference amounts to millions of dollars of lost productivity. 

Also, companies who had overall engagement levels in the top quartile experienced nearly four times higher earnings per share growth than the median growth of their industry competitors.

The findings are part of a global study of 47,000 people in 120 countries conducted by Gallup Consulting. Approximately 2,000 participants from Australia were part of the landmark project.

Allan Watkinson, senior specialist consultant at Gallup's Australian arm, said the findings were disturbing for local companies and acted as a 'wake-up call' to Australian employers.

"Businesses owners should be concerned at the high level of disengagement found among staff," he said. "It is clear workers are feeling detached from their workplace, stating they do not feel they have the right materials, resources or support to do their jobs adequately. Many say they are simply 'going through the motions' to keep their jobs, while other are actively working against the company and spreading negativity across the organisation.

"These findings have a significant impact on issues such as absenteeism, quality of work, staff turnover, company productivity and profitability - particularly as they come at a time when Australia's unemployment rate is close to just 5%, implying the vast majority of people are not in the right job or are unhappy with their current one. This cannot be a good sign for organisations which are seeking to lift their business performance post the GFC."

Watkinson said the Australian findings were not unique and were similar to many other countries across the globe, including Canada where 80% of people said they did not feel fully engaged, New Zealand where the figure was 76% and the US where it was 72%. The global average found 73% of employees not fully engaged.

Countries with the highest level of engagement included Costa Rica at 31%, Guatemala at 30% and Brazil at 29%. Countries with the lowest levels of engagement were Singapore and China at 2%, followed by Serbia at 4%.

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