Employees Across US Are Feeling 'Great Detachment' With Their Jobs, Says Report. What Is It?

The study showed that the proportion of Americans who are looking for new employment opportunities or actively seeking them stand at 51 per cent. This estimate stood at 45 per cent in 2020

Employees across the United States are finding it increasingly difficult to feel attachment towards their jobs. A recent report from Gallup, a workplace advisory firm, found that workers in the US are feeling more and more detached from their jobs and majority of them are not happy with their roles.

The study showed that the proportion of Americans who are looking for new employment opportunities or actively seeking them stand at 51 per cent. This estimate stood at 45 per cent in 2020, reported Moneycontrol.

Further, the survey showed that only 18 per cent of the respondents expressed extreme satisfaction with their jobs. This indicated a decline in employees’ happiness at work, as the same stood at 26 per cent during the pre-pandemic days.

The report mentioned that individuals ‘are seeking new job opportunities at the highest rate since 2015, while overall satisfaction with their employer has returned to a record low’.

“Yet, unlike the ‘Great Resignation’, many frustrated employees are struggling to to make the leap to a new employer in a cooling job market and economy marred by inflation,” the survey stated.

Instead, the study found that these employees are left feeling discontent and this shift is being referred to as the ‘Great Detachment’. 

This trend indicates that the turnover numbers have slowed down, however, employee productivity concerns and future talent loss remain the hidden organisational risks, Gallup stated.

Further, the report pointed out that when employees are not satisfied or feel detached with their work, organisational change measures are most likely to be met with indifference or resistance.

What Causes The Great Detachment?

The report explained that these are the factors that are causing the ‘Great Detachment’.

Rapid Organisational Change

Most firms have undergone rapid transformations after 2020. The peak levels of turnover and hiring during the Great Resignation period led to many employees trying to establish themselves in a new career. The report found that today, 7 out 10 employees state that their organisation has gone through some level of disruptive change in the last year. The more disruption employees undergo, the more likely they are to feel overwhelmed today.

Hybrid And Remote Work

Hybrid work results in communication and coordination challenges for employees, the report said. This kind of work includes switches work locations for at least half of the week and leads to team members working in different schedules. “The physical distancing inherent to remote work can also create an emotional distance,” Gallup study said.

Expectations Of New Employees

The COVID-19 pandemic led to many employees reevaluating their aspirations and expectations not just from their career, but also they employers. Now, employees are prioritising work-life balance and better compensation packages, the report said. The mismatch between the expectations of the workers and what employers are offering can result in employees feeling dissatisfied with their jobs.