For the First Time, More US Workers Are Distressed than Thriving

“New Gallup data confirm that the personal and professional environment of U.S. workers was worse at the end of 2025 than at any point in the past three years across several important metrics”—and more are struggling than thriving for the first time since Gallup has been collecting this data. “This is coupled with U.S. worker engagement dropping to the lowest level on record in the past decade at 31%.”

This decline in worker wellbeing is significant, because it’s not just about the workplace—it’s also about perceptions of personal life as well.

While it is not the job of leaders to address challenges in their workers’ personal lives, it is critical that leaders create work environments that recognize that employees are human beings and don’t stop being human at work. What we know from this and previous Gallup data is that the typical workplace is currently causing more distress for employees on top of what they are dealing with in their personal lives.

Why does this matter for leaders?

In a typical organization, only thirty percent of your workforce is engaged and nearly a fifth is actively disengaged! In other words, about half of your workforce is doing all the work that matters. Employee engagement is now core to a leader’s role. It is probably the single greatest competitive advantage an organization can have.

In short, “the percentage of workers who are thriving in their lives has hit a new low. For leaders and managers, this poses a significant risk to performance. Declining engagement and thriving have well-documented effects on productivity, retention and customer outcomes.” At a time in which the operational environment is more challenging than ever, relying on half of your workforce to achieve critical organizational goals is not only risky, it’s existential.    

Fortunately, the Transformation Collaborative’s Leadership Discovery program is designed specifically to support leaders’ efforts to build engagement in their employees and sustainability in their organizations. Click below to learn more.