The idea that “work sucks” is everywhere. The State of the Global Workplace 2022 report released today by Gallup shows employees are more stressed than ever. 

Among workers surveyed, 60% report feeling “emotionally detached” while at work, and 19% consistently feel “miserable.” These figures are higher than those from 2020, which set a new record for the proportion of employees who said they were stressed on a daily basis.

Globally, employee engagement and well-being remain very low, and it’s holding back enormous growth potential, according to the report. Only 9% of employees globally are "thriving and engaged", whereas the majority (57%) of employees are "not engaged and not thriving".

There has been a significant decline in the overall well-being of workers in South Asia and Europe: Only 11% of workers in South Asia and 47% in Europe say their overall life quality is "thriving." 

Employees in the United States and Canada are the "most engaged": 33% of respondents in the U.S. and Canada report feeling engaged during work.  Despite high engagement, U.S. and Canadian workers are also the world's most stressed-out.

Workers in Australia and New Zealand report the highest quality of life: 63% of respondents say they are "thriving."

71% of respondents in the U.S. and Canada believe now is a good time to look for a job. The regions with the least promising job opportunities are the Commonwealth of Independent States (35%), MENA (28%) and East Asia (27%).

Organisations need to think about the whole person, not just the worker. Executive dashboards need to include well-being metrics. Leaders should also prioritize employee well-being as part of their employer brand promise, according to the research.