Gallup

Forty-nine percent of employees strongly agree they know what is expected of them at work, up from 47% last year. This comes as welcome news after 2025, when Gallup reported that the largest five-year declines in engagement were in employees’ clarity of expectations and feeling cared about at work. Yet overall employee engagement remained unchanged, and fewer employees say their opinions count or that they feel connected to their organization's purpose. Clarity of expectations is foundational to building highly engaged teams. Without it, employees lack a shared standard for success. The recent increase moves in the right direction, but employee clarity remains well below the 61% peak in 2015. Knowing what's expected at work is a foundational element, but just one part of building an engaged workforce. The strongest workplaces create provide employees with clarity and connection by helping employees understand what's expected in their roles, feel like their opinions are heard and see how their work contributes to the larger purpose. Explore Gallup's latest findings: https://lnkd.in/g-u-S5_5

What do more accepting communities have in common? Gallup World Poll data show they're also places where people are more likely to be thriving, feel safe and experience stronger social connections. Explore the latest findings from two decades of global research.

Organizational culture influences far more than the employee experience. It shapes whether employees engage, stay and advocate for the organization. Gallup research finds that only two in 10 employees strongly agree they feel connected to their company's culture, with most employees lacking a strong connection to their workplace. Building that connection requires more than communicating organizational values. Strong cultures are built through everyday leadership practices that help employees understand expectations, apply their strengths, receive meaningful coaching and see how their work contributes to the organization's mission.

Gallup's research shows that manager support is the strongest driver of meaningful AI adoption and the value it delivers in the workplace. In organizations that are investing in AI, employees who strongly agree their manager actively supports their team's use of AI are 7.4 times as likely to strongly agree that AI gives them more opportunities to do what they do best every day. It's one example of why culture remains a leadership priority, even as AI demands more of leaders' attention. CEO Jon Clifton joined The World of Work event, hosted by SEMAFOR in partnership with Gallup, to share why organizations can't lose sight of culture as they accelerate AI adoption. Watch the full conversation: https://lnkd.in/emej4PFK

As AI becomes part of everyday work, organizations are increasingly focused on where it creates the greatest value. Gallup's latest findings show that employees who use AI across a broad range of job-related tasks are much more likely to report meaningful productivity gains than employees who use it for only one or two purposes. Among employees using AI for seven or more purposes, 90% say it has had a somewhat or extremely positive impact on their productivity. While the findings do not establish that broader AI use causes higher productivity, they suggest organizations may realize greater value by helping employees apply AI across a wider range of job-relevant tasks. Explore Gallup's latest findings on AI adoption and employee productivity. https://lnkd.in/dMc--TAU

Employee engagement in the U.S. held steady at 31% during the first half of 2026 — unchanged from 2025, even as AI is rapidly becoming a more common part of employees’ daily work. But that lack of movement on the trend hides real movement underneath: engagement varies widely depending on employees’ experiences with AI. At AI-adopting organizations, 53% of employees are engaged when specific AI-related conditions are in place; 22 percentage points above the national average. The three conditions: using AI frequently, their organization has a clear plan for how AI should be used, their manager actively supports AI use. Access to AI alone isn’t enough. Clear expectations and manager support are what turn adoption into real engagement. Explore Gallup’s latest employee engagement findings: https://lnkd.in/gGA9ADg3

Accountability is essential to high-performing teams, yet leaders and managers alike rate creating it as leadership's weakest skill out of seven competencies shown to influence engagement and performance. Just 46% of leaders rate themselves as exceptional or outstanding at holding everyone responsible for exceptional performance. Managers are even less confident, with 30% rating their direct leaders that highly. Accountability weakens when expectations are unclear, managers aren't equipped to coach consistently and performance standards vary across teams. Without consistent leadership practices, accountability depends on which manager one happens to have, not the organization’s culture.

Americans' confidence in U.S. institutions remains near the record low, averaging 27% across 14 core institutions. At the same time, partisan divides in confidence are at record highs. Drawing on nearly 50 years of Gallup research, Global Managing Partner Joe Daly joined a special edition of Axios’ News Shapers series to discuss the long-term trends shaping confidence in U.S. institutions and public opinion today. Full insights here: https://lnkd.in/gfexx5Yf

Gallup’s latest research finds more than half of U.S. employees (52%) are watching for or actively seeking a new job. Leadership tends to ask: Why are they leaving? Another question is just as important: What are they experiencing while they stay? Every interaction shapes how employees connect with an organization’s purpose and culture. Those experiences influence employee engagement, retention, performance and even how employees talk about organizations long after they leave. The strongest organizations recognize that the employee experience is shaped by everyday interactions. They create conditions that help people do their best work. Explore strategies for building a stronger employee experience. https://lnkd.in/dideFqAd

Global attitudes toward gay and lesbian people are more positive today than at many points over the past two decades, but the world remains deeply divided. Gallup World Poll data reveal where acceptance has grown and where it has stalled.