Employee engagement is in crisis, according to a new survey from staffing and professional services firm Insight Global. The company’s 2025 Employee Sentiment Report—based on responses from more than 900 U.S. workers—reveals that just 35% feel engaged in their jobs, and only the same percentage feel “essential” in their roles.
That sobering figure lands at a time when employers are scrambling to reduce attrition and boost retention in a highly competitive labor market.
The Onboarding Problem
One of the report’s clearest red flags: 22% of employees admit they’ve quit a job within the first 90 days, often citing poor training or ineffective onboarding as the culprit. Nearly 4 in 5 workers say they’d stay longer in a role with stronger onboarding.
Even when they do stay, it takes the average employee six to seven months to feel fully settled—a long runway in an era where job-hopping is common.
Culture as a Retention Multiplier
Engagement isn’t just about pay or perks, the survey suggests. Workers are eight times more likely to feel engaged if they’re in a strong workplace culture.
“A defined culture is not a nice-to-have,” said Brindy Pickett, VP of Consultant Engagement at Insight Global. “It’s a foundational driver of engagement, retention, and performance. If you’re intentional about the culture you want, it breeds success.”
The findings echo broader HR industry trends. Gallup has consistently reported that employee engagement hovers around 30% nationwide, and companies like Microsoft and Salesforce have made headlines in recent years for doubling down on cultural initiatives to combat attrition.
What Employers Can Do
The report doesn’t just point out problems; it highlights actionable strategies employers can take:
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Role-specific onboarding that helps workers hit the ground running.
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Intentional culture-building to foster belonging and collaboration.
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Connecting daily work to purpose, giving employees a sense of impact beyond the job description.
These recommendations align with what HR tech providers and consultants have been pushing: a shift from transactional onboarding to experience-driven integration.
Why It Matters
For employers, the takeaway is blunt: engagement can’t be left to chance. With the cost of replacing a salaried employee estimated at up to twice their annual salary, poor onboarding and weak culture aren’t just HR headaches—they’re expensive business problems.
Insight Global, which has built its brand on a “people-first” approach, argues that organizations prioritizing structured onboarding and intentional culture-building will be better positioned to retain top talent—and see stronger performance across the board.
The full 2025 Employee Sentiment Report is available through Insight Global.
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