By the numbers
Workplace culture by the numbers
Last updated: Published by CRW Diversity
Published 2026 research shows engagement is low, trust in employer culture is limited, and both carry real costs.
CRW Diversity collected these statistics from published studies so executives can see the scale of the culture problem in one place. Each number links to the page it comes from. None of them are CRW Diversity's own figures.
On this page
Does workplace culture affect business results?
Published research says yes. Gallup's meta-analysis of 3.35 million employees, as reported by True Colors, found top-quartile engaged teams had 78% lower absenteeism than bottom-quartile teams. And Gallup estimates low engagement costs the global economy $10 trillion in lost productivity.
Engagement is not the same thing as culture, but it is one of the clearest signals of how people experience the systems around them. When only 49% of employees trust their employers to create thriving, inclusive cultures, the gap between stated values and daily experience is a business issue.
Six workplace culture statistics, with sources
| Number | What it measures | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 20% | Global employee engagement in 2025, down from 21% in 2024, per Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026. Engagement in the United States and Canada was 31%. | Workhuman, Company Culture Statistics in 2026 |
| $10 trillion | Estimated cost of low engagement to the global economy in lost productivity, roughly 9% of global GDP, per Gallup. | Workhuman, Company Culture Statistics in 2026 |
| 49% | Share of employees who trust their employers to create thriving, inclusive cultures, per Randstad's 2025 Workmonitor. | Workhuman, Company Culture Statistics in 2026 |
| 78% | Lower absenteeism in top-quartile engaged teams than in bottom-quartile teams, in Gallup's meta-analysis of 3.35 million employees. | True Colors, How to Measure Organizational Culture in 2026 |
| 62% | Less likely to report frequent burnout, a figure listed in True Colors’ 2026 roundup of research on measuring culture and engagement. | True Colors, How to Measure Organizational Culture in 2026 |
| 59% | Share of organizations taking a tech-focused approach to AI, in Deloitte research with 100 C-suite leaders. | Deloitte, 2026 Global Human Capital Trends |
What these numbers mean for executives
The numbers point to a pattern Celeste Warren has described throughout her career: many organizations try to fix culture by asking people to change, while leaving the systems around them untouched. Deloitte's finding that 59% of organizations take a tech-focused approach to AI is another example of the people side being treated as secondary.
A survey score shows how people feel. It does not show which policy, practice, or decision caused it. To find that, use the organizational culture audit checklist, read about how systems shape culture, or return to the organizational culture consulting guide.
Common questions
- Does organizational culture affect business results?
- Published research suggests it does. Gallup's meta-analysis of 3.35 million employees, as reported by True Colors, found top-quartile engaged teams had 78% lower absenteeism than bottom-quartile teams. Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026, summarized by Workhuman, also estimates low engagement costs the global economy $10 trillion in lost productivity, roughly 9% of global GDP. More in the FAQ
- How is organizational culture different from employee engagement?
- Culture is the pattern of shared norms, systems, and decisions in an organization; engagement is how connected and committed employees feel at work. The two are linked. Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026 report, as summarized by Workhuman, found global engagement fell from 21% in 2024 to 20% in 2025, one reason leaders are looking harder at culture. More in the FAQ
- Is an engagement survey enough to understand culture?
- Usually not. An engagement survey measures how people feel, but it rarely shows which policies, practices, or decisions caused those feelings. A culture audit adds document review, decision mapping, and outcome data. Randstad's 2025 Workmonitor, as summarized by Workhuman, found only 49% of employees trust their employers to create thriving, inclusive cultures. More in the FAQ
- Will management consulting be replaced by AI?
- AI is changing consulting, but culture work still depends on human judgment and trust. StrategyU reports that BCG says AI and tech work is now more than 40% of its revenue. Deloitte research with 100 C-suite leaders found 59% of organizations take a tech-focused approach to AI, which leaves the people and culture side of adoption as open work for leaders. More in the FAQ
- What type of consulting is most in demand?
- Technology and AI work is currently a large share of consulting demand. StrategyU reports BCG says AI and tech work is more than 40% of its revenue, with AI services up 25% in 2025. At the same time, Deloitte's 2026 Global Human Capital Trends research points to people and culture questions that technology alone does not answer. More in the FAQ
Read all 48 questions about organizational culture consulting