Behind the "great resignation:" Nearly 20% of workers are miserable

Bosses remain the top factor in job satisfaction.

• "Get a bad one and you are almost guaranteed to hate your job," Gallup CEO Jon Clifton wrote as part of the company's 2022 State of the Global Workplace report.

Why it matters: A majority of workers globally (60%) say they're emotionally detached or not engaged at work. Meanwhile 19% say they're miserable or actively disengaged.

The big picture: The "great resignation" has driven high job turnover, giving workers the upper hand while making employers pull out all the stops to attract and retain talent. Companies around the world have tried to make doing work better during the pandemic, but hiring the right people remains key.

• "A manager’s effect on a workplace is so significant that Gallup can predict 70% of the variance in team engagement just by getting to know the boss," says Clifton.
• Plus, happier and more engaged workers can mean 23% higher profits, Clifton points out.

Threat level: The job market still favors workers, and 45% of workers globally say "now" is a good time to find a job, according to Gallup.

• In the U.S. and Canada specifically, the percentage of workers who agree that "now [is] a good time to find a job" is at 71%.