Study Finds Nearly 80% of the Canadian Workforce Is Disengaged

A recent study by global analytics and advice firm Gallup revealed nearly 8 in 10 Canadian employees are currently disengaged in the workplace. In fact, Gallup’s 2023 State of the Global Workforce study found just 21% of employees across all sectors are engaged. Although global employee engagement and job opportunities have been on the rise, the latest workforce trends in Canada are quite the opposite. What’s worse, employee stress levels have remained persistently high.

The Gallup study found more than half (56%) of Canadian employees experience significant stress daily.

Amid such high disengagement, Canadian employers must consider ways to engage their workers. This article outlines employer actions to help boost employee engagement.

Employer Actions

It’s important to note that employee disengagement often leads to reduced workplace productivity, which, in turn, negatively affects employers’ profitability. Employees may be better engaged if their employers introduce some workplace changes such as the following:

• Investing in employee well-being—Workers are more likely to feel satisfied if they feel connected and invested in. Employers should take steps to promote workforce well-being, such as providing employee assistance programs, offering mental health training and adopting other healthy lifestyle measures.
• Recognizing work done well—Employers should consider publicly rewarding and recognizing workers at all levels of their organizations for work done well to create a culture of recognition.
• Providing learning and development opportunities—Employees are less likely to become bored when they can learn new skills and continue enhancing their professional development.
• Conducting performance reviews—Performance reviews allow employers to discuss employees’ accomplishments and encourage staff to work hard.
  Focusing on the employee experience can help employers increase workforce engagement and combat job stressors.

If employers shift their focus to employee satisfaction, there is a much higher chance of engaged, productive workers, enjoying a positive company culture and increasing profitability.

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