March 11, 2025
More employees than ever say that they are engaged with what they do
Nearly one in five employees worldwide reported being fully engaged on the job, a record high going back a decade according to polling in ADP Research’s People at Work 2025 report. It was the third straight year that the share of engaged workers grew, according to the survey. The study claims there is a strong relationship between work location and employee engagement. While 56 percent of the 38,000 employees surveyed worldwide say they work on-site every day (up 2 points compared to last year and up 8 percentage points compared to 2022), only 12 percent work exclusively remotely (down 1 percentage point) and 32 percent work in hybrid mode (down two percentage points compared to last year).
While the share of employees working exclusively on-site and being fully engaged has been growing steadily for several years, in a large majority of geographies, employees who work in hybrid mode say they are the most engaged.
But above all, it seems that it is employee autonomy that has a significant impact on high levels of engagement. The study shows that respondents who have complete freedom of choice regarding their workplace, meaning they can choose to work on-site or elsewhere without any restrictions, are much more engaged than others. And this trend is confirmed regardless of the actual workplace: those who have the choice, even if they work on-site or at home, are as engaged as hybrid workers with the same level of freedom.
Economic, social, and political conditions affect employee engagement with some differences between markets. “People at Work 2025” reports the biggest gain in the Middle East/ Africa region, rising 3 percentage points to 25 percent fully engaged workforce.
Europe, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands were among the world’s biggest losers when it came to engaged workers, pushing the entire region down to 17 percent.
Teamwork makes the dream work
In many roles, work can only be carried out on-site, necessitating the use of other levers. One such strategy is fostering a sense of team belonging, which is crucial. The ”People at Work 2025” study reveals that most employees (90 percent) are part of a team, but 52 percent of those who feel they are part of a high-performing team are fully engaged, compared to only 10 percent of those who say they aren’t on a high performing team. This underscores the value of team belonging in the workplace.
Therefore, it is crucial to focus on employee development and give special attention to the growth of local leaders. These leaders play a pivotal role in the group’s performance, underscoring the significance of their role in the organisation.
