Across the globe, surveys consistently show that a significant portion of the workforce is disengaged. According to Gallup's 2023 State of the Global Workplace report, only 23% of employees on average are engaged in their work. In the UK that figure falls to a miserable 10%, causing profound concerns for Westminster because the UK lags behind its G7 competitors in just about every measure of productivity.
Coupled with low levels of engagement, organisations everywhere are wrestling with correspondingly low levels of productivity, which have largely failed to bounce back since the global pandemic. A study by workplace communications platform Slack shows that UK workers spend approximately one-third of their work day on unproductive tasks labelled ‘performative work’. The question is, are managers to blame for the lack of productivity? And, if so, what can be done about it?