U.S. Employee Engagement Below 30% for First Time in 15 Years
www.gallup.com
Declining clarity of expectations and feeling cared about at work underscore the importance of communication and manager support when integrating AI.

Hybrid and remote employees in organizations adopting AI experienced the sharpest declines.

U.S. employee engagement fell to 29% in the third quarter of 2026, its lowest level since 2011 and down two percentage points from the previous quarter. The share of actively disengaged employees rose from 17% to 18%, while 53% were not engaged.

The latest decline was sharpest among remote and hybrid employees, particularly those in organizations that have adopted artificial intelligence. Employees also reported less clarity about what is expected of them at work and were less likely to feel that someone at work cares about them as a person. These findings raise questions about whether communication and manager support are keeping pace with AI integration.

  • BigPotato
    11·
    19 hours ago

    There’s not caring about you and then there’s not caring about you working. I don’t expect my boss to ‘care’ about me but I expect them to care about me being a good cog in their machine.

    Employee disengagement is largely driven by inconsistent directive because, if the robot can create enough slop and my boss doesn’t seem to notice, why bother doing more?