Despite rapid advances in Artificial intelligence (AI) and space exploration, workplaces around the world continue to struggle with employee engagement and wellbeing, according to Gallup CEO Jon Clifton.
According to a recent interview with Fortune, Clifton said organisations have made significant technological progress but have failed to address fundamental issues affecting employees.
“We're closer to colonising Mars than we are to fixing the world's broken workplace,” Jon Clifton said.
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The Washington-based executive mentioned that many employers continued to face challenges in creating work environments where employees feel engaged, supported and connected.
According to Gallup, these factors have become increasingly important as companies navigate changing work models and rising expectations from employees.
Clifton suggested that the issue lies not with work itself, but with how workplaces are designed and managed.
“The problem, therefore, is not work,” he said. “The problem is the workplace.” Clifton added.
The report also highlighted that employee engagement remains a crucial part of productivity, innovation and business performance.
Clifton's remarks come as companies around the world invest billions of dollars in AI to improve productivity and efficiency.
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However, Gallup's findings suggested those investments may not fulfil their full potential unless organisations also focused on employee experience and the quality of management.
According to Gallup's 2026 State of the Global Workplace report, global employee engagement dropped to its lowest level since 2020, while manager engagement registered a significant decline compared with the previous year.
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