Workforce Expectations: what the research shows

The research points to two conditions a leader can shape: how clearly people know what is expected of them, and how closely they feel connected to the mission.

Know what is expected of them49%of U.S. employees strongly agreed they know what is expected of them at work in February 2026. It was 56% in 2020.Gallup, February 2026

What it means for the people a leader leads

Clear expectations let people put their effort into the work rather than into working out what the work is, and they are a condition a leader can build with the people doing the work.

Workforce Expectations

  • Workplace policies needing clarification
  • Decisions spanning several departments
  • Agreeing when teams are available

Situations

Staff seek clearer explanations of workplace policies and consistent application.

Work crosses departments. Teams need shared expectations about feedback, decisions and availability.

People doing the work want a part in shaping decisions that affect it.

Evidence A small local agency's 2026 employee survey identifies policy communication, collaboration and involvement in decisions as improvement areas within a positive, improving culture.

Limits A separate state employee survey examines expectations, feedback and work boundaries. Neither source establishes how often these situations occur in cities and counties.

Sources

Two questions and engagement

Gallup has asked U.S. employees the same twelve questions since 2000. Two of them, and the engagement measure that combines all twelve, are drawn below.

The first two panels are the share of U.S. employees who strongly agree; the third is the share Gallup counts as engaged. All three are drawn on one scale, zero to 60%. Source: Gallup, Q12 question-level data, 2007 to February 2026

Know what is expected of them

Source: Gallup, February 2026
60%4020020072016202656% in 202049% in 202660%4020020072016202656% in 202049% in 202660%4020020072016202656% in 202049% in 2026
How it moved, and the figures behind the chart
49%of U.S. employees strongly agreed they know what is expected of them at work in February 2026.

Percent of U.S. employees who strongly agree, Gallup chart datasets

PeriodKnow what is expected
200757%
200857%
200956%
201051%
201149%
201253%
201351%
201459%
201561%
201656%
201756%
201857%
201955%
202056%
March 202154%
June 202148%
October 202146%
February 202245%
June 202246%
September 202244%
November 202246%
February 202348%
May 202351%
August 202348%
November 202347%
February 202444%
May 202448%
August 202446%
November 202445%
February 202546%
May 202547%
November 202548%
February 202649%

their organization’s mission or purpose makes them feel their job is important

Source: Gallup, February 2026
60%4020020072016202631% in 202660%4020020072016202631% in 202660%4020020072016202631% in 2026
How it moved, and the figures behind the chart
31%of U.S. employees strongly agreed their organization’s mission or purpose makes them feel their job is important in February 2026. It was 38% in 2020.

Percent of U.S. employees who strongly agree, Gallup chart datasets

PeriodConnected to mission
200734%
200833%
200938%
201034%
201133%
201235%
201334%
201435%
201538%
201635%
201736%
201837%
201937%
202038%
March 202138%
June 202136%
October 202134%
February 202233%
June 202232%
September 202233%
November 202233%
February 202333%
May 202333%
August 202333%
November 202333%
February 202430%
May 202432%
August 202432%
November 202430%
February 202531%
May 202532%
November 202532%
February 202631%

Engaged at work

31%of U.S. employees were engaged at work in the first half of 2026. It was 36% in 2020.
Source: Gallup, May 2026
60%40200Annual20002013202636% in 202031% in 202660%40200By reading2022202631%18 readings, 2022 to 202660%40200Annual20002013202636% in 202031% in 202660%40200By reading2022202631%18 readings, 2022 to 202660%40200Annual20002013202636% in 202031% in 202660%40200By reading2022202631%18 readings, 2022 to 2026
How it moved, and the figures behind the chart
U.S. employee engagement, percent engaged, annual 2000 to 2025 and first half 2026U.S. employee engagement, percent engaged, by reading, February 2022 to May 2026

U.S. employee engagement, percent engaged, annual 2000 to 2025 and first half 2026

YearPercent engaged
200026%
200130%
200230%
200328%
200429%
200526%
200630%
200730%
200829%
200928%
201028%
201129%
201230%
201330%
201431%
201532%
201633%
201733%
201834%
201935%
202036%
202134%
202232%
202333%
202431%
202531%
First half of 202631%
Every reading the three panels show, in words

In February 2026, 49% strongly agreed they know what is expected of them at work; it was 61% in 2015, 56% in 2020 and 44% in February 2024. In the same month 31% strongly agreed their organization’s mission makes them feel their job is important; it was 38% in 2020 and 32% in May 2025. Engagement, which combines all twelve, stood at 31% in the first half of 2026, against 36% in 2020.

On this page

The Great Detachment

Employees are not quitting at pandemic-era rates, and many are not fully engaged either. Gallup calls it “The Great Detachment”: a workforce that shows up and has quietly disconnected from the mission.

How leaders and staff understand their connection to the mission is a Face the Truth question.

How U.S. engagement compares with the world

20%of employees worldwide were engaged at work in 2025, against 31% of U.S. employees
Source: Gallup, 2025
010203040%200020132025U.S. employeesemployees worldwide31%20% in 2025010203040%200020132025U.S. employeesemployees worldwide31%20% in 2025010203040%200020132025U.S. employeesemployees worldwide31%20% in 2025
How it moved, and the figures behind the chart
Global employee engagement, percent engaged, annual 2009 to 2025 (no reading for 2010, 2011, 2017)U.S. employee engagement, percent engaged, annual 2000 to 2025 and first half 2026
Source: Gallup, State of the Global Workplace 2026

Worldwide, it was 12% in 2009 and 23% in 2022 and 2023. The same report puts the United States and Canada together at 31% for 2025, a regional level with no series behind it.

Percent engaged, Gallup

YearUnited StatesWorldwide
200928%12%
201230%13%
201330%14%
201431%14%
201532%15%
201633%17%
201834%19%
201935%22%
202036%20%
202134%21%
202232%23%
202333%23%
202431%21%
202531%20%

For the people a leader leads

The national and world figures are the backdrop, not a reading of any one team. How engaged one team feels is something its leaders and members shape together.

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Looking is not leaving

Two measures, two groups: quits among state and local government employees outside education, and job seeking among all U.S. employees.

0.8%of state and local government employees outside education quit in an average month of 2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025
0246810%200120132025Job openingsrateQuits rate4.2% in 20250.8% in 20250246810%200120132025Job openings rateQuits rate4.2% in 20250.8% in 20250246810%200120132025Job openings rateQuits rate4.2% in 20250.8% in 2025
How it moved, and the figures behind the chart
Quits rate, state and local government excluding education, annual average of monthly rates, 2001 to 2025 (2026 partial)Job openings rate, state and local government excluding education, annual average of monthly rates, 2001 to 2025 (2026 partial)
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey

It was 0.8% in 2015 and 2019, after a peak of 1.1% in 2022. Job openings ran at 4.2% in 2025, against 2.9% in 2015.

Percent of employment a month, annual average of monthly rates, state and local government excluding education

YearQuitsOpenings
20010.8%3.0%
20020.7%2.8%
20030.7%2.2%
20040.7%2.2%
20050.7%2.3%
20060.8%2.7%
20070.7%2.8%
20080.7%2.5%
20090.5%1.9%
20100.5%1.8%
20110.6%2.0%
20120.6%2.2%
20130.6%2.4%
20140.8%2.7%
20150.8%2.9%
20160.9%2.9%
20170.8%3.1%
20180.8%3.5%
20190.8%3.9%
20200.8%4.0%
20211.0%5.0%
20221.1%6.0%
20230.9%5.7%
20240.9%5.1%
20250.8%4.2%
51%of U.S. employees were watching for or actively seeking a new job in November 2025
Source: Gallup, November 2025
0204060%20142019202551% in 20250204060%20142019202551% in 20250204060%20142019202551% in 2025
How it moved, and the figures behind the chart

It was 42% in August 2018 and 51% in 2014.

Percent of U.S. employees watching for or actively seeking a new job, Gallup

PeriodWatching or seeking
201451%
201551%
201646%
201746%
August 201842%
September 201946%
March 202044%
March 202148%
October 202148%
February 202246%
June 202249%
September 202249%
November 202249%
February 202349%
May 202350%
August 202349%
November 202348%
February 202450%
May 202451%
August 202451%
November 202451%
February 202550%
May 202551%
November 202551%

For the people a leader leads

People watching for another job are still doing the work.

In the fourth quarter of 2025, 72% of U.S. employees said it was a bad time to find a quality job.

Time on the job and succession

5.4 years: median time local government employees had been with their current employer in January 2026, the first reading under a revised count (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

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Three questions only the organization can answer

No national series measures any one city or county. These three questions are for a leadership team to answer about its own.

  1. If each person on the team were asked what is expected of them this quarter, would the answers match what the leadership team would say?
  2. Which roles have had their expectations change in the past year, and who told the people in them?
  3. How does someone on the front line hear how their work connects to the mission, and how often?

Further reading

The full research library
On this page

Two pages on what leaders and staff build from conditions like these.

The Shift That SticksDefine What Matters, on saying out loud what matters most