Purposeful Work Boosts Engagement, but Few Experience It

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Employees with a strong sense of purpose at work are 5.6 times as likely to be engaged in their jobs as those with a low sense of purpose. They are also much less likely to feel burned out or be watching for or actively seeking a new job. These outcomes reflect better individual experiences at work and are associated with improved organizational outcomes, including productivity and profitability.

Gallup and Stand Together uncovered these findings through a nationally representative Aug. 18-25, 2025, survey of 4,475 U.S. working adults. This study, titled The Power of Purpose, introduces the Work Purpose Index (PDF download), a three-item measure that captures the degree to which employees believe their work contributes to something important, positively affects others and provides a sense of purpose in daily tasks. Based on their scores, employees are classified as having strong, moderate or low work purpose.

Employees with strong work purpose show markedly better outcomes across workplace measures. Half (50%) are engaged in their jobs, as measured by Gallup’s Q¹² survey, meaning they feel connected to their work, feel enthusiastic about what they do, and are committed to their organization’s success. By comparison, only 9% of employees with low purpose and 31% of the U.S. workforce overall are engaged.

The data also suggest that purposeful work serves as a buffer against negative experiences. Only 13% of employees with strong work purpose report feeling burned out "very often" or "always," compared with 38% of those with low purpose. Turnover intention shows a similar pattern: 41% of employees with strong work purpose are watching for or actively seeking a new job, compared with 68% of those with low purpose.

Purpose Is Not Seen as a Priority in Talent Development

Most organizations currently do not place a high value on personal or organizational purpose. When evaluating the importance of a range of factors in determining the success of a new hire, leaders and managers with hiring responsibilities ranked qualities related to purpose in the middle. Just 30% of respondents rated a strong sense of personal purpose along with passion for the organization’s mission as “very important.” By comparison, 77% indicated that communication skills are very important.

These findings suggest that while leaders consider a range of factors in determining success, they may underestimate how purpose affects workers’ engagement and their long-term commitment to the organization.

Employees Are Seeking More Purposeful Jobs

Many employees want more purpose in their jobs than they currently experience. When asked to describe their work today, nearly half of employees (45%) say they work primarily to collect a paycheck and benefits. Only 18% describe their current job as one that has a purpose they personally believe in, and 12% say their job allows them to pursue purpose in their life outside of work. In contrast, 30% of employees say their ideal job would have a purpose they personally believe in, and 23% say that job would allow them to pursue purpose outside of work, percentages that match or exceed those for pay and benefits.

These findings underscore a disconnect between the relationship many employees want with their work and what they currently experience. Understanding how purpose develops at work can help organizations identify ways to make employees’ jobs more meaningful.

How Purpose at Work Develops

Analysis from The Power of Purpose study (PDF download) finds that some employees’ roles foundationally align with their broader sense of purpose. A teacher whose personal purpose is to educate, or a healthcare worker motivated to improve others’ wellbeing, may experience a direct connection between what they do each day and what gives their life meaning.

However, this kind of structural alignment is not realistic for every role, nor is it what all workers want from their work. Many are not seeking a job that fully reflects their life’s purpose, but they can still benefit from purposeful work.

Purpose is not exclusive to any career or calling. It can be cultivated in any role when the environment supports it. Gallup and Stand Together data suggest that employees are more likely to experience purpose when they see how their efforts make a difference through actions such as helping a customer or colleague, improving a process, or contributing to an important outcome.

Purpose is also strengthened when employees see how their role connects to the organization’s broader mission and why that mission is meaningful. Employees who strongly agree that the mission or purpose of their organization makes them feel their job is important are 3.6 times more likely to have a strong sense of work purpose (58% vs. 16%). Even brief, consistent conversations that reinforce these connections can make daily work feel more valuable and rewarding.

Bottom Line

Employees who feel a strong sense of purpose in their work tend to bring more energy, focus and commitment to their roles. Yet purpose remains largely overlooked in the workplace, and fewer employees have purpose in their current role than desire it in their ideal role. Findings from Gallup and Stand Together in The Power of Purpose report show that purpose at work is measurable, actionable and meaningfully linked to engagement and retention.

When employees see how their efforts make a difference and understand how their role connects to their organization’s mission, they are more likely to view their work as purposeful. Leaders who intentionally foster these connections can strengthen how employees experience their jobs and, in turn, support stronger, more resilient organizations.

Learn more about The Power of Purpose study (PDF download).

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