Things are looking up for the American workplace — at least in a few choice states. A new study from Gallup reveals the top states where employees are happily and enthusiastically heading into work.
But before we dig into the details, we'll need to provide some definitions.
The study, which surveyed more than 165,000 employed adults between January 2013 and December 2014, uses three terms to define workplace engagement: engaged, not engaged and actively disengaged.
• "Engaged employees are involved in and enthusiastic about their work and workplace."
• "Not engaged employees are essentially 'checked out.'"
• "Actively disengaged employees are not just unhappy at work; these employees undermine the accomplishments of their engaged coworkers."
The study's results are broken down state-by-state. Montana, Mississippi and Louisiana have the highest percentage of engaged employees (the ones who are excited to go to work in the morning).
On the other end of the spectrum, Connecticut, New York and Michigan have the highest percentage of actively disengaged employees (the ones who undermine their coworkers).
As you might expect, these numbers have considerable implications for employers. Gallup says its research suggests businesses with engaged employees have a 22 percent jump in profitability over those with disengaged employees.
It's important to keep in mind surveys like this aren't necessarily the gospel truth. Although Gallup says active disengagement tends to correlate with unemployment rates, a writer for The Salt Lake Tribune says Utah — which has a paltry 28 percent of engaged workers — defies the trend. "That connection is puzzling for Utah, which touts one of the nation's lowest unemployment rates."
And there are a whole host of other factors to consider — especially in something as mercurial as employment trends.
Business Insider points to more Gallup data which suggests new employees are more engaged than their veteran counterparts, "potentially giving states with more new hires a slight engagement advantage."
So maybe tell your boss to hire a few new employees if the current cast of characters is looking a little, well, actively disengaged.
This video includes images from Getty Images and music from Brenticus / CC BY 3.0.
