Employee Engagement Holds Steady as Key Drivers Show Uneven Progress, McLean & Company Report Finds

McLean & Company's latest research, Employee Engagement Trends Report 2026, shows that while employee engagement and intent to stay remained broadly stable in 2025, weak scores in compensation, career development, collaboration, stress, and coaching continue to limit stronger business outcomes.

McLean & Company's Employee Engagement Trends Report 2026 – Key Findings:

• 79.7% expect to stay with their organization a year from now, up from 77.5% in 2024.
• Total compensation remains the lowest-scoring driver at 52%, while career advancement and development sits at 58.3%.
• 40% report higher job-related stress, and only 23% rate leaders as highly effective at coaching employees.

TORONTO, April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Employee engagement remained stable in 2025, but HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company warns that stable scores should not be mistaken for sustained success. Drawing on insights from more than 254,000 employees across 240 organizations, the firm's Employee Engagement Trends Report 2026 reveals that while overall engagement is holding steady, several of the drivers that matter most to productivity, retention, and strategic execution are not improving at the same pace.

The report findings indicate that organizations that are highly effective at delivering a strong employee experience are 2.3x more likely to report high workforce productivity and 1.9x more likely to achieve strategic goals (McLean & Company HR Trends Report 2026). The insights underscore why HR leaders will need to go beyond measurement and focus on targeted action over the coming months.

Key Findings From McLean & Company's Employee Engagement Trends Report 2026

Compared with the trends highlighted in the Employee Engagement Trends Report 2025 McLean & Company published last year, this year's data shows that while overall engagement has remained resilient, progress across several of the workplace drivers that matter most to retention, performance, and employee experience remains uneven.

The findings below highlight the clearest markers for HR leaders to watch in 2026:

• Total compensation remains the lowest-scoring driver at 52%, with little improvement year over year.
• Career advancement and development continues to lag at 58% and remains the top reason employees leave organizations.
• Department collaboration remains low at 54%, with no improvement reported since 2022, underlining ongoing communication challenges.
• Employee stress is rising, with 40% reporting higher job-related stress compared to the previous year.
• Leadership capability gaps persist, with only 23% of leaders rated as highly effective at coaching employees.

Taken together, McLean & Company's 2026 trends report findings suggest organizations have preserved employee engagement but not yet strengthened the conditions that sustain it.

"Employee engagement may be stable, but stability can be misleading," says Amanda Chaitnarine, senior director, Human Resources Diagnostics, at McLean & Company. "Without strengthening the core drivers behind engagement, organizations risk plateauing performance instead of improving it. HR leaders need to move beyond measurement and focus on targeted action."

What McLean & Company Advises HR Leaders Should Prioritize for 2026

McLean & Company's Employee Engagement Trends Report 2026 outlines a clear implication for HR leaders: stable engagement scores alone do not indicate success. The data shows that without targeted action on career growth, total rewards, collaboration, employee stress, and manager coaching, organizations may struggle to convert engagement stability into stronger business results, which can have broader competitive impacts externally. 

To build on current engagement levels and drive measurable outcomes for both employees and the organization, McLean & Company's report recommends a more targeted, action-oriented approach to CHROs and HR leaders:

• Prioritize employee experience as a driver of productivity, performance, and retention.
• Strengthen career development pathways to improve engagement and reduce turnover risk.
• Align total rewards strategies with employee expectations to address ongoing compensation concerns.
• Improve cross-functional collaboration by addressing communication gaps and enabling better teamwork.
• Build leadership capability in coaching and feedback to better support employee growth and development.

The report indicates that organizations that take action in these areas are better positioned to translate engagement into business impact.

The Employee Engagement Trends Report 2026 includes benchmarking data, trend analysis, and practical guidance to help HR leaders identify gaps and take action. Organizations looking to move from measurement to action may also benefit from McLean & Company's Gather the Employee Voice to Inform Engagement Action Planning workshop, which supports HR teams accelerate engagement survey action planning. By applying McLean & Company's research insights, organizations can move from measuring engagement to building a sustained culture of engagement, improving productivity, retention, and overall organizational performance.

Media Inquiries for McLean & Company HR Analysts and Industry Experts

For exclusive and timely commentary from McLean & Company experts, including Amanda Chaitnarine, senior director, Human Resources Diagnostics, at McLean & Company, or to access the complete Employee Engagement Trends Report 2026, please contact [email protected].

About McLean & Company

McLean & Company pairs evidence-based research and immediately applicable tools with deep HR expertise to position organizations to meet today's needs and prepare for the future. The global HR research and advisory firm's member organizations enjoy comprehensive resources, full-service diagnostics, workshops, action plans, and advisory services for all levels of HR professionals, from executive leadership and HR leaders to HR team members, that help shape workplaces where everyone thrives.

McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group.

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SOURCE McLean & Company