Employee Engagement Improves in Q2, With Notable Uptick for Remote Workers

Employee engagement slightly increased in the second quarter of this year, with 32% of U.S. employees being fully engaged at work, up from an 11-year low of 30% in the first quarter. 

Gallup reports that this increase represents an additional 3.2 million engaged Americans in the workforce. The percentage of actively disengaged employees also improved, inching down from 17% to 16% from the first to second quarter of 2024.  

Significant improvements in knowledge of work expectations, being equipped to do the work right, and the ability to do what employees do best contributed to the recent uptick in engagement. 

Remote workers experience engagement boost

Up five points from earlier in the year, employees who work from home were more highly engaged in the second quarter. Meanwhile, engagement of those who work fully on-site rose three points, and hybrid workers had no notable change in engagement. 

Talent acquisition leaders are seeing a continued strong desire to work remotely, despite companies attempting to move toward return-to-office. In separate research from HireRight, nearly two-thirds of talent acquisition professionals across three regions reported that they expect remote and hybrid work arrangements to grow by the end of 2024. And fewer than 10% anticipated a drop in the level of remote working. 

One in three (33%) North American respondents faced the challenge of job candidates dropping out when they learned there wasn’t an option to work remotely. These findings suggest that offering remote work may not only help improve employee engagement, but also attract more candidates.