Morale can have a huge impact on your workplace – it can influence productivity, retention of staff and the general wellbeing of your employees.
But what do the statistics tell us about employee engagement? In this blog post, you’ll find 30 employee morale statistics.
You could use them as a starting point to investigate morale in your own workplace, or spark a conversation about how your team is feeling.
You’ll also learn about what affects employee morale, and why it’s so important for your business.
Table of contents:
- 30 Employee Morale Statistics
- What can we learn from these employee morale statistics?
- What factors influence employee morale?
- How does low morale affect the workplace?
- What are the benefits of good employee morale?
- Final Thoughts
Note: Looking for statistics on mental health challenges? Read this article for a comprehensive look at mental health statistics.
The state of employee morale
1. 26% of UK employees are “actively disengaged” at work (Gallup)
2. 57% of UK employees are not engaged at work (Gallup)
3. 17% of UK employees are engaged at work (Gallup)
4. Only 19% of managers and directors reported a “high interest” in their jobs (Gallup)
5. Only 30% of UK businesses have employee engagement initiatives (Robert Half)
6. 42% of UK businesses have employee wellbeing programmes (Robert Half)
7. Half of employees would sacrifice their salary for a job they enjoy (HR Drive)
8. 80% of US workers would grade their job as a ‘B-’ in terms of overall satisfaction (HR Drive)
9. About 10% more men than women said they love their job (HR Drive)
10. 1 in 5 employees are highly engaged yet still at risk of burnout (Harvard Business Review)
11. The average employee engagement score in the UK is 45% (Qualtrics)
12. 61% of entry level employees experience burnout, compared to 43% of senior management (Career Builder)
Statistics on the causes of low or high employee morale
13. 39% of employees are loyal to their workplace due to their immediate supervisor (Addison Group)
14. 63% of workers cited poor communication getting in the way of their job as a reason why they would quit (Dynamic Signal)
15. 53% of employees don’t think their company communicates with them in a way that would lead them to becoming an advocate (Dynamic Signal)
16. Money is the main reason people look for a new job for 67% of workers (Glassdoor)
17. Managers account for up to 70% variance in employee engagement (Gallup)
18. Employee engagement is a priority for 85% of leaders (Dale Carnegie)
19. Only a third of leaders actually make employee engagement a priority (Dale Carnegie)
20. 44% of team members don’t understand the impact they have in their role (Ceridian)
21. Employees value “trust, passion and mentorship” the most at work (HRDrive)
22. 76% of employees agree that workplace culture affects their productivity (Eagle Hill Consulting)
23. Almost three quarters (74%) said workplace culture affects their ability to serve customers (Eagle Hill Consulting)
Statistics on the benefits of improving employee morale
24. Eliminating disengagement could lead to £52-70bn worth of productivity gains in a year (Gallup)
25. Teams with higher employee engagement are 22% more profitable (Gallup)
26. Teams with low employee engagement have 37% more absenteeism (Gallup)
27. Customer ratings improve by 10% in teams with high employee engagement (Gallup)
28. 41% of people said they would take a pay cut if their company invested more in their health and wellbeing (Staples)
29. Employees that are disengaged make 60% more errors in their work (Achievers)
30. Improving onboarding can positively impact employee engagement, accord to 53% of HR professionals (Silk Road)
What can we learn from these employee morale statistics?
These statistics paint a picture that a lot of employees are not engaged in their roles. In fact, even if they are engaged, they’re still at risk of burnout.
Aspects of work that negatively impact employee morale include poor line management, communication, and not understanding the value they bring to the business. Aspects that positively affect morale include a healthy workplace culture, as well as trust and mentorship from a leader.
So what are the benefits of improving employee engagement? Whereas less engaged teams make more errors and are absent more often, teams that are highly engaged are more productive and profitable, according to these studies.
But these statistics only tell part of the story. Here are some other things to consider when it comes to employee morale in your organisation.
What factors influence employee morale?
The tools, systems and processes you use in your business day to day can have a big impact on employee morale. If these tools are overly complicated, or are causing blockers in teams’ workflows, then this can deplete morale.
Increasingly, flexibility plays a role in this too. Organisations that allow flexibility, in terms of working hours and location for example, will help employees to find a more satisfying work-life balance.
Leadership can have a huge impact on how people feel in their roles. A leader that is supportive, encouraging and empathetic can transform how someone engages in their work.
Businesses that invest in training their employees, and provide them with room to grow, can retain staff for longer. If people feel like they have no progression opportunities, they may look elsewhere for a company that encourages learning and development.
‘Culture’ refers to the beliefs, values and attitudes of your business. Are people encouraged to share ideas, be vulnerable, and learn from mistakes? Or are they micromanaged and not trusted to get their work done? Consider how your culture may be affecting the morale and engagement of your workforce.
How does low morale affect the workplace?
As highlighted by various studies, low morale can impact significantly on a businesses’ profitability. If employees are less engaged, then they’re less likely to be productive, which can reduce the output of your organisation overall.
This filters down to your customers, too. If employees feel engaged, happy and fulfilled in their roles, then this can impact how your customers feel.
If everyone comes together to create a great product, the customer will receive a higher quality product or service.
If employees are in customer-facing roles, a positive attitude to work is infectious and can rub off on customers, resulting in higher customer satisfaction. However, if morale is low, then the customer may suffer too.
Low morale may make employees more likely to be absent, costing your business unnecessary money, and causing disruption to the rest of the team. If low morale is due to poor communication or unsympathetic leadership, this could potentially result in workplace conflict, which can be difficult and time-consuming to resolve.
What are the benefits of good employee morale?
Good employee morale can have many benefits, including:
- Better relationships between team members
- Higher productivity
- Increased profits
- A more positive company culture
- Higher staff retention
- Fewer absences
- Quality work with fewer mistakes
- Boosted wellbeing for your whole organisation
Final Thoughts
Clearly, employee morale can have a huge impact on your workplace. Thankfully, there are lots of ways to improve this.
Ensuring the health and wellbeing of your staff is being taken into consideration is a good starting point. Learn more about what we do, and how you can measure employee wellbeing with Champion Health.
