One-Fifth of US Employees Are Undermining The Organizations They Work For

More than half of Americans don’t like their jobs, according to a recent poll (pdf). What’s more, up to one in five aren’t just uninspired at work but are actively damaging their companies by draining resources and lowering morale.

According to polling firm Gallup’s survey of about 150,000 full and part-time employees in 2012, 18% of employees could be characterized as “actively disengaged.” These employees take more sick days, monopolize their managers’ time, and perhaps more significantly, spread their discontent among the staff.

“Actively disengaged employees aren’t just unhappy at work; they’re busy acting out their unhappiness. Every day, these workers undermine what their engaged coworkers accomplish,” the report concludes (p. 21). Gallup estimates that this class of workers costs the US between $450 billion and $550 billion a year in lost productivity.

Read more at Quartz. 

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