Is there a new type of pandemic in the workplace? People seem to be disengaged and unmotivated in their jobs, others are "quiet quitting" and doing the bare minimum to barely scrape by and not get fired, and more and more people are directing their attention, time, and money to master their work-life balance.

In their 2024 State of the Global Workplace report, Gallup estimates that employee disengagement cost the global economy around $8.9 trillion in GDP in 2023. They report that 23% of employees felt actively engaged in the workplace, which is an all-time high (in 2009 the percentage of engaged employees was merely 12%).

At the same time, employee well-being declined, as only 34% of employees reported thriving in their workplace. However, just like with employee engagement, this number remains at a steady high for the last five or so years. So, why are more and more people "quiet quitting" or thinking about leaving their jobs?

As Gallup suggests, the mental well-being of employees is what stagnates motivation and daily productivity. According to their research, daily stress is still higher than the pre-pandemic average, and 20% of employees reported experiencing significant loneliness. As people are less happy in general, they're less likely to feel motivated in the workplace.

We sometimes think that an unmotivated worker is a bad worker. But good workers can become unmotivated, too. That's why companies spend thousands of dollars to keep the talent they have happy with various perks, bonuses, and other incentives. According to Indeed, there are two types of motivation in the workplace: one that comes from the outside, and another, from the inside.

Cash bonuses, office snacks, and more vacation days are a great way to motivate your employees, but they might not work with those who crave intrinsic motivation. Other workers put more effort and are willing to go above and beyond when they find meaning and purpose in their work.

Some studies also suggest that intrinsic motivation gets employees to be six times more motivated than extrinsic motivation. Jim Barnett writes for Forbes that using external awards only can sometimes feel like companies are trying to control their employees. "Instead of feeling excited and challenged to exceed a target, we sometimes see people hit a goal and go no further," he notes.

It also matters what kind of boss we have. Leadership coach Vicki Kampmeier has five rules that managers should follow to motivate their employees. First, she says, bosses need to ask their workers for feedback: giving and receiving it should be the priority for any good boss.

Second, employees should be allowed to contribute to their individual and the company's goals. "When employees feel like they're part of that conversation, they're willing to put in the extra effort," Kampmeier explains. These two rules go in hand with the third one: the boss has to show employees they care: listening to their feedback, being flexible with their demands, and allowing them to make decisions.

Employees should also know what's happening in the company they work at. When a worker knows more about the big (or small) operation that they're a part of, they become more invested in it. Hence, they want to do a better job and strive for the company's success. "The more uncertainty [employees] feel, the less motivated they are," Kampmeier explains.

Finally, a good boss should know a thing or two about the people they manage. That's not to say that they should pry or be all up in their employees' personal business, but things such as remembering birthdays and carrying out personality assessment tests show the workers that the boss is making an effort to care about them. What's more, as Kampmeier says, leaders can leverage this for growth, motivation, and alignment.

What do you think about people doing the bare minimum at work, Pandas? Have you ever had a coworker who could possibly make it onto our list? Share your stories with us in the comments! And if you want to see more failed attempts at a good job, check out our previous article about the "I Did The Job, Boss" subreddit right here!