Episode 066: In Conversation with Jim Harter, Chief Data Scientist for Workplace Management and Wellbeing at Gallup

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“20% of employees in the workplace in the U.S. strongly agree that they trust the leadership of their organization. And that's the highest correlation with another really important item that we ask right now, whether employees feel that their organization cares about their overall well being. That's related to burnout, and it's a really important perception. Because if people do feel that you care about their well being, they're much more likely to stay,” explains Jim Harter, chief data scientist for workplace management and wellbeing at Gallup. Today he discusses the data behind quiet quitting and the Great Resignation and what managers and leaders can do to improve employee engagement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jim shares that employee engagement has been tracked back to 2000 and the numbers have stayed relatively the same, but the difference is in the boldness of employees to be more vocal against their organizations and managers. COVID provided an opportunity for people to step back and reflect on their positions and see whether their values actually aligned with their duties and the values of the organization. This has led to a lot of people switching jobs, disengaging from their jobs in a form of ‘quiet quitting’, or just fully resigning from their positions. According to the data, most Americans do not believe their leadership is trustworthy or cares about their wellbeing. Managers can greatly improve employee engagement and retention by building trust and changing how they approach management to focus on the needs of their people. More and more people are struggling with burnout and managers have a chance to offset this if they take action to provide necessary support, tools, and role clarity to their employees. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The COVID pandemic has shifted a lot in regard to the relationship between employers and employees. There is an overall decrease in engagement on a global scale that needs to be addressed by those