Survey finds a fifth of global employees report experiencing loneliness

Overall, employee well-being declined in 2023 from 35 per cent to 34 per cent, with the decline mostly felt by younger workers under age 35. Also, working adults were less lonely (20 per cent) than those who were unemployed (32 per cent).

Read: Half of employees say loneliness is impacting work productivity: survey

Only 30 per cent of managers and 23 per cent of employees were engaged globally. In addition, actively disengaged employees — workers who actively oppose their employer’s goals — made up 15 per cent of the global workforce. Compared to their peers, they were more likely to be suffering in their overall well-being, less likely to feel respected and less likely to experience daily enjoyment. More than half (54 per cent) said they experienced a lot of stress in previous days.

Managers were more likely than non-managers to be engaged and thriving, according to the report. They were also likely to feel their opinions count, to feel connected to their organization and to feel they have peers they can rely on for support. However, managers were more likely to be stressed, angry, sad and lonely than non-managers. They also reported experiencing higher levels of negative emotions than non-managers and were more likely to be considering leaving their current job.

The report found at best-practice organizations across industries and geographies, three-fourths of their managers were engaged as were seven in 10 non-managers — which was 11 times the global average. High-engagement business units were likely to see significantly higher employee well-being — as well as higher productivity, profitability and sales — than low-engagement teams.

Read: Survey finds 68% of global employers with high employee engagement have well defined DEI plans