Glassdoor Economist Sees a Workforce Stuck and Disengaged

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Many employed people feel trapped in their current roles, while jobless people struggle to get hired. Daniel Zhao, chief economist at Glassdoor, calls the result a "crisis of disengagement" in new research.

Disengagement describes employees who keep their jobs but feel little connection to the work.

Managers and AI plans tied to higher engagement

The brief points to two findings. Employees who said their manager actively supported their team's use of AI showed a 48% engagement rate. For employees who did not mention such support, the rate was 30%.

Studies also found engagement 15 points higher at workplaces that introduced AI together with a clearly explained integration plan than at companies that adopted AI without that transparency.

Burnout and distrust of leaders

"Burnout is on the rise," Zhao said. He noted that leaders have pushed hard for productivity and efficiency in recent years, and asked whether the faster pace is sustainable.

Workers pushed to produce more might be more productive in the short term, he said. Many of them are in effect doing the jobs of several people. Without the right support, that is a recipe for burnout.

Mistrust of leadership compounds the problem, Zhao said. Glassdoor's senior leadership satisfaction scores are declining quickly, and workers cite communication, culture and strategy as sore points.

A market that keeps people in place

Zhao's research starts from a low-hire market. Anxiety about layoffs, according to the study, has risen by more than actual layoffs have. Earlier Glassdoor research found that morale at work falls once layoffs happen, and the dip can last for months.

"In a world where hiring is slow and long-term unemployment is rising, the cost of layoffs to workers is higher," Zhao said.

Separate reports found that US employee engagement has fallen to its lowest levels since 2011. The steepest falls are among hybrid and remote staff in organizations already using AI. That suggests physical distance can create psychological distance, which AI use may exaggerate.

AI worry reaches beyond affected jobs

Zhao's report says introducing AI creates significant uncertainty, and that this feeds feelings of insecurity workers already had. Workers name job security as their biggest worry about AI. It also reaches workers whose own tasks AI does not touch directly.

Gen Z workers voice concern about what AI will do to their careers, and women in that group most of all.

Source: HR Dive