A new study from Firstup suggests that employee engagement may no longer be the reliable indicator of workforce stability it once appeared to be. This follows the company’s State of Employee Engagement Report UK, which surveyed more than 3,000 workers across office-based, managerial, and hourly roles.
The results reveal a workforce that, on the surface, appears committed to their organizations. Yet beneath that engagement is a growing willingness to move on.
That sentiment cuts across job types and seniority levels, indicating that the issue is not confined to one segment of the workforce but may reflect broader structural challenges within organizations.
“This disconnect means that engagement alone is no longer a reliable signal of workforce stability,”
Bill Schuh, CEO of Firstup, said following the study.
A Workforce That Appears Engaged but Plans to Leave
Digging deeper into the report shows just how widespread the disconnect has become. Among office-based employees, 76% describe themselves as engaged or highly engaged at work. Managers report even higher engagement levels at 83%, while hourly workers come in slightly lower at 69%.
Yet across all these groups, almost half say they are likely to seek another job within the next year. Specifically, 48% of office-based employees, 50% of managers, and 47% of hourly workers say they are considering leaving despite their reported engagement.
So what is causing this rift? The research suggests that communication failures play a major role in creating this contradiction. Although most respondents said they receive updates from their organizations regularly, up to 76% reported missing important policy or procedural announcements.
Part of the issue lies in how messages are delivered. Employees frequently report that workplace communication is poorly prioritized or scattered across systems that do not align with how people actually work. Too many messages, too little time to process them, and uncertainty about where to find key updates were among the most common challenges.
The report also highlights growing strain on middle management. Managers remain the most trusted source of information for employees, but they are increasingly overwhelmed by the expectation that they will both deliver leadership messages and maintain team engagement.
In fact, 77% of managers reported challenges communicating with their frontline teams, and only 21% feel very confident that their current communication methods keep workers compliant.
Understanding the Engagement and Retention Gap
The research suggests that the engagement paradox may stem from deeper structural issues related to trust, recognition, and organizational communication.
Employees may feel connected to their work or colleagues, but that does not necessarily translate into long-term loyalty to their employer.
