Every year, Gallup publishes its global workplace report “State of the Global Workplace 2026”, offering insight into how employees around the world experience engagement and wellbeing at work.
For Europe, the findings suggest that overall wellbeing remains relatively stable, while employee engagement continues to be the lowest globally.
Weak connection to workplace
A closer look at Europe shows that employee engagement remains a significant challenge. Many employees across the region continue to go to work without feeling genuinely involved in or enthusiastic about what they do. This often reflects a weak sense of connection to the workplace.
According to the report:
- 12% are engaged at work
- 73% are not engaged
- 15% are actively disengaged
Kilde: State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Rapport, Gallup.
How engagement is categorised
Gallup divides employees into three categories: engaged, not engaged, and actively disengaged.
- Engaged employees thrive at work. They are highly involved in and enthusiastic about both their work and their workplace. They take ownership, drive results, and contribute to innovation.
- Not engaged employees are often associated with what is sometimes called “quiet quitting”. They are psychologically detached from their workplace and contribute their time, but not their energy or passion.
- Actively disengaged employees are, in many cases, on their way out. They are dissatisfied and may at times undermine the efforts of their more engaged colleagues.
Source: State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Rapport, Gallup.
The broader employee experience in Europe
Although engagement is relatively low, this is not simply a matter of poor wellbeing. In Gallup’s report, 49% of European employees say they are thriving, and on several day-to-day emotional indicators Europe is at or below global levels:
- 49% said they are thriving
- 39% experienced stress the previous day
- 15% experienced anger
- 17% experienced sadness
- 13% experienced loneliness
This highlights an important distinction between how employees feel overall and how engaged they feel in their work.
When engagement is low without every other indicator pointing in the same negative direction, it becomes clear that workplaces should not focus solely on traditional signs of poor wellbeing. They should also pay attention to whether employees feel involved, motivated, and connected to their work. The full employee experience needs to be in focus.
Signs of low employee engagement in everyday working life
When an employee’s engagement is low, the same patterns often appear again and again. They may contribute less, withdraw more, and become increasingly passive.
Other signs may include:
- more of a “we’ve always done it this way” mindset
- low response to internal initiatives
few ideas for improvement - growing distance from leadership
- less pride in the workplace
- less willingness to take responsibility beyond core tasks
- higher absence levels
Low engagement does not necessarily mean that someone is in acute distress. Some employees may still perform adequately, but without much energy, ownership, or emotional connection. This is very close to Gallup’s category of “not engaged”.
Put engagement on the agenda
If you want to understand the state of employee engagement in your organisation, it is essential to gather employee feedback and regularly measure engagement levels. It is important not only to ask about job satisfaction, but also to explore the key elements that shape the employee experience.
This gives organisations a better opportunity to monitor development over time, detect patterns early, and respond where action is needed. It also makes it easier to work systematically and continuously with the employee experience, from motivation to wellbeing, and strengthen it over time.
It can be useful to ask whether employees:
- know what is expected of them
- have what they need to succeed
- have opportunities to use their strengths
- feel recognised
- feel that their opinions are heard
- find meaning in their work and
- understand how it contributes
- experience opportunities for development
eNPS can be a valuable complement if you want to measure employees’ sense of connection to the workplace and their willingness to recommend it to others. However, eNPS alone is not enough if you want a deeper understanding of employee engagement.
That also requires insight into the day-to-day conditions that shape the work experience, such as clear expectations, recognition, influence, and development opportunities. In the GAIS platform, you can measure engagement, wellbeing, and eNPS.
Strengthen employee engagement
with GAIS
Would you like help getting started with collecting employee feedback and taking action on workplace wellbeing? With the GAIS wellbeing platform, you can involve and engage the entire organisation in improving the work environment and employee engagement.
