Not Engaged at Work? Gallup Poll Finds 70 Percent of Americans Aren't

A whopping 70 percent of Americans are not engaged at work, according to the latest Gallup survey released Tuesday.

The poll, which is part of Gallup's 2013 State of the American Workplace report, found that of the 150,000 full- and part-time workers surveyed, just 30 percent of respondents were engaged in the workplace, while 52 percent were not engaged and 18 percent were actively disengaged.

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According to the survey, women are "slightly more engaged than men," with 33 percent of female respondents saying they were engaged in their workplaces compared to 28 percent who felt the same. Age also plays a factor.

Forty-one percent of Traditionalists, who make up only four percent of the U.S. work force and are born between 1927 and 1945, told Gallup they were engaged at work. Just 26 percent of baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, which comprises 44 percent of the workforce, feel engaged at their jobs.

Though not as engaged as the oldest among us, younger generations of Americans show some promise compared to the baby boomers, Gallup noted.

In the poll, 28 percent of Generation X members and 33 percent of Generation Y members describe themselves as being engaged at their jobs.

The Gallup poll also shows that workplace perks, such as free lunches, ping pong tables, and generation vacations can build a "more positive workplace," but "satisfied or happy employees are not necessarily engaged employees."

Additionally, remote workers tend to give more time to their companies. On-site workers put in 42 hours on average each week, while remote workers put in 46 hours on average.

As a result of widespread disengagement among American employees, the U.S. economy loses "an estimated $450 billion to $550 billion annually," the report states.

The main reasons for employee disengagement in the workplace are "managers from hell," and the feeling that their company does not cultivate growth and ignores talent, the report finds.

As shocking as the poll appears, the fact that the vast number of Americans polled do not enjoy their jobs is nothing new.

When Gallup first started the poll in 2000, just 26 percent of respondents said they were engaged in the workplace, whereas 74 percent said they were either not engaged or actively disengaged.

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