33 Revealing Workplace Statistics for Success-Seekers

The workplace is where we spend most of our adult lives. And whether or not our jobs will be success stories or trainwrecks depends on several factors. The workplace statistics in this article deal with the characteristics of the modern workplace and reveal its influence on our wellbeing and productivity.

Efficiency depends on the physical and psychological state of the employee, which is especially important when it comes to healthcare careers. A dispute at work can be both a blessing and a curse, depending on whether or not we have the knowledge to turn it in our favor.

Understanding the modern workplace trends can help you anticipate any obstacles and reach professional success. So put your focus on these revealing workplace stats.

10 Essential Workplace Statistics

US employees spend 2.8 hours per week on conflict resolution in the workplace.
Excessive work-related stress is the underlying cause of 120,000 deaths in the US annually.
13% of American employees were unhappy at work in 2018.
There were 5,250 cases of fatal workplace injuries in 2018.
56% of workers are happier when they collaborate.
Overexertion in the workplace is the costliest work-related injury in the US.
The global economy loses $1 trillion annually due to depression and anxiety-related loss of productivity.
In 2019, 36% of the sexual assaults on women happened in the workplace.
Women hold only 29% of senior leadership positions around the globe.
More than one in every 10 employees is romantically involved with a coworker.

Wellness in the Workplace: Statistics and Facts

1. US employees spend 2.8 hours per week on conflict resolution in the workplace.

(ESH Today)

Around 2.1 hours of the working week are spent on resolving disagreements in the workplace globally. In the US, this time was 2.8 hours per week. Around 10% of American workers report a failure of a work project because of a conflict.

What’s more, one-third of the workers involved in a conflict stated that it led to personal injury. The survey also reveals that 22% of those participating in a heated workplace argument took days off work due to an injury caused by the dispute.

2. When it comes to workplace stress, statistics show that excessive work-related stress is the underlying cause of 120,000 deaths in the US annually.

(Stress org, CWMH, Statista)

The CWMH revealed that stress at the office could cause damage to the immune system, mental health, or trigger the onset of chronic diseases in workers, which leads indirectly to 120,000 deaths each year.

In the Gallup survey from 2018, Americans were rated as the 4th most stressed-out nation of the 143 participating countries, as 55% of the US respondents said they experienced a lot of stress. Another workplace stress survey detailing the common stressors in the workplace shows that a heavy workload accounts for 46%, and job insecurity for 6% of the work-related stress in Americans. The biggest stressors include romantic relationships (28%) and poor work-life balance (20%).

3. Workplace-conflict statistics reveal that there were 72,675 workplace discrimination charges in 2019.

(EEOC)

US companies have around a 12% chance of being sued by their employees. The average time for the resolution of these kinds of lawsuits was estimated at 275 days, and the average cost of conflict in the workplace amounted to $125,000.

In 81% of the cases, the insurer would refuse to cover the legal costs. Statistics by states show that New Mexico establishments are 66% more likely to be sued than the average American firm. The EEOC data showed that 72,675 charges for at-work discrimination had been filed in 2019.

4. Workplace statistics reveal that, on average, Americans sit for 11 hours per day, mostly in the workplace.

(Corporate Wellness Magazine)

People working in a corporate environment spend around 75% of their time sitting, which causes serious health problems. This kind of a sedentary lifestyle involves sitting for 11 hours per day, and it leads to obesity, poor posture, breathing problems, and problems with blood circulation, causing up to 3 million deaths worldwide every year. Sitting for long periods increases the risk of developing heart disease by 147%, diabetes by 112%, and colon cancer by 24%

5. One of the major causes of workplace stress is a heavy workload, causing stress in 55% of adults aged 18–29.

(Statista, CNBC)

For more than half of the younger working population aged 18–29, the biggest everyday stressor was a heavy workload, whereas 48% of those aged 30–50 were stressed for the same reason. Moreover, US businesses lose around $300 billion due to absenteeism or other effects of workplace stress annually.

6. Employee engagement statistics reveal that, in 2018, the employee engagement rate was around 34% globally.

(Statista, Gallup)

The global statistics show that around 66% of workers were engaged in their job in 2019. In comparison, in 2018, around 34% of the US workers were engaged in their job, which had been the highest since 2000. The percentage of actively disengaged people had dropped to its lowest (13%), with an engagement/disengagement ratio of 2.6:1.

7. Job satisfaction statistics from 2018 reveal that there was a 51% job satisfaction rate in the US in that year.

(Small Business Trends)

A survey of approximately 1,500 US workers shows that more than half of them are satisfied with their jobs. Namely, the job satisfaction statistics showed that American workers are mostly satisfied with their colleagues (64%) and with the way they commute to work (60.6%). Furthermore, 59.6% were interested in the work they were doing, and 57.5% were pleased with their supervisor.

Other workplace aspects, like bonus plans (27%), performance review processes (32.5%), and education and training programs (32.6%), have the lowest job satisfaction rates. And with a satisfaction rate of only 26.3%, promotion policy was the most dissatisfying factor.

8. When it comes to happiness and productivity at work, statistics show that 56% of workers are happier when they collaborate.

(Deloitte Report)

Around 60% of employees or managers who collaborate reported positive changes in opinions due to the collaborations, with 23% of them reporting significant changes. Furthermore, the report shows that collaborative businesses innovate more (17% of the time), which is 70% more than non-collaborative businesses.

Collaboration diversity has been shown to have a major impact on the novelty aspect of innovation. Around 52% of businesses with important collaboration strategies manage to outgrow the market in comparison with 20% of those who don’t have a collaboration plan or strategy.

9. Around 13% of the US workforce is made of unhappy employees, statistics on workplace engagement reveal.

(Gallup, CNBC)

Around 53% of US workers are emotionally and cognitively disengaged from their work, and an additional 13% feel miserable, too. The results of another survey, including 8,000 working US adults, revealed that a third of them considered quitting their jobs. The biggest reason was the feeling of being underappreciated, followed by having no opportunities to advance, and the lack of autonomy, among others.

10. 81% of US workers find that the effects of conflict in the workplace can be positive.

(ESH Today)

Statistics show that one in every three workers experience an injury due to workplace conflict, with one in five taking days off work because of it. However, 81% of US employees report coming to a conflict resolution in the workplace. Furthermore, 41% of the workers report having good communication and understanding, while 33% have positive and strong working relationships.

Around 29% of the correspondents reported finding better solutions to the problem caused by the conflict, and one in 10 reported coming to an innovative solution because of it. An additional 21% said that resolving conflicts improved their team’s performance.

Workplace Safety Facts

11. There were 458 workplace homicides in 2017.

(OSHA)

In 2017, there were 5,147 workplace fatalities due to various incidents, out of which 458 were intentional homicides committed by a coworker, client, or another person. There were 500 workplace homicides in 2016, accounting for 10% of all workplace fatalities in that year.

Furthermore, robbery was the biggest reason for the homicides, which is why cashiers had the highest death toll, followed by retail store supervisors, and police officers. 82% of the homicides included male workers and employers. Shootings accounted for the deaths of 394 workers in 2017, and another 38 and 35 workplace homicides were committed by stabbing and beating, respectively.

12. Workplace injury statistics show that there were 5,250 fatal injuries in 2018.

(BLS)

There were 5,250 fatal workplace injuries in 2018. Their rate is estimated at 3.5 per 100,000 full-time workers. Among these, transportation incidents were the most frequent, especially among truck drivers, accounting for 40% of the total number of deaths.

Furthermore, 786 of the incidents involved workplace objects or machinery, and 305 were due to drug overdose. There were 304 suicides, 791 accidental falls, while loggers had the highest number of fatalities in 2018.

13. US workplace-death statistics reveal that the most dangerous civilian occupation in 2017 was that of a fisherman.

(Statista)

In 2017, fishermen and other fish workers were the most dangerous civilian professions in the US, with an estimated death rate of 99.8 deaths per 100,000 population. Next on the list were loggers, with a death rate of 84.3 per 100,000, followed by pilots and flight engineers (48.6 per 100,000).

In Europe, the construction-injury statistics confirm that construction is the riskiest occupation outside the military, accounting for 22.2% of the workplace fatalities in 2012. Manufacturing and transport were next (16.6%), followed by warehousing and storage, which represented 14.3% of the total workplace fatalities.

14. When it comes to workplace violence, statistics show that around 75% of the assaults occur in the healthcare industry.

(Research Gate)

A research paper reveals that, in the period between 2011 and 2013, there were 24,000 workplace assaults, with 75% occurring in healthcare institutions. However, the actual number of injuries is believed to be three times higher.

Nursing statistics reveal that nurses and nursing aides count the most verbal and physical assaults, with estimated rates of 39% and 13%, respectively. What’s more, the prevalence of physical violence of emergency personnel was evaluated at 80%, even though only half of the cases were reported.

15. Texas has the highest number of non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses, according to workplace-injury statistics by state for 2018.

(BLS)

Non-fatal injuries were the most numerous in Texas, where the numbers reached 178,000 recorded cases, out of which 56,400 resulted in job transfer or restriction. Following Texas, New York recorded 140,000, and Pennsylvania had 135,400 cases of non-fatal injuries and illnesses caused by work activities. The smallest number of work-related injuries and illnesses were recorded in the Virgin Islands, with 300 cases, followed by Guam and Wyoming with 1,300 and 5,400 cases, respectively.

16.US workplace injury statistics in 2019 reveal that overexertion in the workplace is the costliest work-related disability.

(Statista, NSC)

In 2019, the costliest disability was work overexertion, causing losses of around $13.1 billion. This type of injury is the most frequent among employees, representing 33.54% of the total numbers.

Falls on the same level was the second most expensive disability, costing the US economy $10.4 billion in 2019. What’s more, these injuries accounted for 19% of all workplace injuries. Statistics also show that falling on a lower level and getting struck by objects or equipment caused the loss of an additional $10.2 billion dollars.

17. Of all work-related sexual assaults, 36% happened to women in the workplace, 2019 figures show.

(EEOC)

The EEOC statistics on sexual harassment in the workplace reveal that there were 12,739 allegations and charges regarding sexual harassment in the fiscal year of 2019. Furthermore, 83.2% of them were charges filed by women. In this period, there were 7,875 resolutions, resulting in $68.2 million in monetary benefits.

Another report on sexual harassment in California suggests that 36% of women who experience sexual harassment say that it happened in their workplace. Currently, 11 American states are working on legislation that will modify the non-disclosure agreement regarding sexual harassment.

Productivity in the Workplace: Statistics and Facts

18. The global economy loses $1 trillion per year due to depression and anxiety-related loss of productivity.

(WHO)

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the monetary losses due to depression and anxiety amount to $1 trillion globally. The data shows that every investment in the treatment of mental health issues of workers returns four times the invested amount in productivity.

The WHO identified several workplace-related factors that most frequently affect workers’ mental health, such as inadequate safety practices, poor management and communication, lack of control and team cohesion, and overwhelming workloads.

19. Workplace collaboration statistics show that teams that cooperate work 15% faster.

(Deloitte Report)

Around 49% of workers believe that collaboration is a very important part of success, and statistics are proving them right. The analysis showed that teams were working 15% faster when the members were collaborating effectively. The estimated value of the time saved was approximately $1,660 per manager and employee on an annual level.

What’s more, over 73% of the survey respondents said that the quality of their work is better due to collaboration, adding another $2,517 to the company’s account per employee and manager on an annual level.

20. Diversity in the workplace statistics shows that gender, ethnic, and cultural diversity in management results in higher profitability.

(McKinsey)

Diversity in the workplace equals better profitability. Namely, ethnically diverse executive teams were shown to outperform non-diverse executive teams by 33% in profitability. Figures reveal that teams that had more female executives in the revenue-generating roles were shown to have a 21% bigger chance of outperforming the national industry median than the non-diverse teams in terms of gender.

21. The US ranks 22nd on the OECD’s labor productivity and utilization list, according to productivity statistics from 2018.

(OECD)

The data shows an increase of 1% in productivity, and a 1.3% rise in labor utilization in 2018, placing the US in 22nd place of 46 states. In this year, Estonia marked the biggest annual growth in productivity (6.1%), followed by Poland (5.9%). The increase rate for utilization of labor for both of these countries was low — 1.5% and 0.7%, respectively.

Conversely, the most inefficient country in terms of productivity was Belgium, where the productivity rate decreased by 2.7%, and the labor utilization increased by 3.8%.

22. Working from home increases the average employee productivity, statistics suggest.

(Airtasker, Stanford University, Small Business Trends)

A study involving 16,000 employees that evaluated productivity during nine months of remote work, revealed a 13% rise in productivity. Similarly, the remote work statistics show that working from home results in almost 17 days of extra work per year due to shorter breaks, a decrease in idle time or less time spent chatting, and arriving late due to commuting.

The US marked an increase of over 100% in numbers of telecommuters in the last decade. Since productivity increases and costs are drastically reduced, job postings for remote positions are also on the rise, more precisely, by 51%.

23. Workplace productivity statistics show that 80% of office workers view chatty colleagues as their biggest productivity threat.

(Statista)

Around 80% of full-time office workers believe that chatting is the biggest killer of their focus, and hence, productivity. Furthermore, office noise is a distraction factor for 70% of the respondents. Next in line is stress due to workload, causing 61% of the office workers to lose productivity during a workday. Furthermore, 60% state that business meetings — judged unhelpful and disruptive — were undermining their work performance.

Workplace Statistics on Corporate Trends

24. Women in Sub-Saharan Africa have the highest rates of female workforce participation in the world.

(Our World in Data, Statista)

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest percentage of women in the workforce globally (62.93%). Next in line are the regions of East Asia and the Pacific, with 59.21% of women in the workforce. North America is in 3rd place with 56.25%, and Europe in 5th place with 51.05%. In the US, around 57.4% of the female labor force older than 16 participated in the job market in 2019, but this percentage is declining, according to the statistics on unemployment trends.

25. Baby boomer workforce statistics reveal that they are the longest-working generation since the 1970s.

(Pew Research)

The retirement stats for 2018 show that 29% of the baby boomers aged 65 to 72 are still active in the labor force. Baby boomers are staying longer in the labor market than both the Silent Generation and the Greatest Generation.

In the age group of 65 to 72, 25% of female baby boomers and 34% of men are actively working. Between 2011 and 2029, there are supposed to be 10,000 new retirees daily, if every baby boomer retires at the age of 65, but the numbers tell a different story since the baby boomers are prolonging their retirement.

26. Workplace statistics in 2018 show that 64% of workers favor job-hopping.

(RH)

There is an increase of 22% of people who would do job-hopping compared to four years ago, and they are mostly motivated by a bigger paycheck. As much as 75% of younger employees (18–34) see the benefits of job-hopping, in contrast to 59% of workers aged 35–54 and 51% of those older than 55. Job-hopping is especially popular among those with college degrees and higher education (67%). However, managers do not share the same enthusiasm for this trend and are reluctant to hire an employee that they deem as a job-hopper.

27. When it comes to women in leadership, statistics show that they account for only 29% of senior leadership positions around the globe.

(American Progress, McKinsey)

Women are still inadequately represented in higher leadership positions. For example, only 24% of the members of Congress are women — a situation similar to the one in the US business sector, where they hold only 38% of the management-level positions, as opposed to 62% that are held by men.

Around 44% of companies have three or more women in the C-suit — a drastic rise from 29% recorded in 2015. The biggest obstacle to the integration of women in the workforce is getting their first managerial position, as for every 100 male promotions, there are only 72 female promotions.

28. If we look at male vs. female employment, statistics from 2018 reveal that, with a 46% participation rate, women are still under-represented in the US labor force.

(Our World in Data, World Bank Data, Statista)

The history of women in the workplace shows a radical augmentation in the female workforce participation in the 20th century, especially in the countries that go through industrial development.

Unfortunately, at the turn of the 21st century, the participation of women in the workforce stagnated and began declining — a trend that is particularly evident in the more developed countries such as the US. What’s more, the women’s employment rate in 2018 was 57.4%, whereas that of men for the same period was 69.1%.

29. When it comes to millennials in the workforce, in 2020, they will dominate it, along with Gen X workers.

(Business Leader)

The millennial statistics for 2020, show that this generation and Gen X will co-dominate the global workforce, each contributing 35%. On the other hand, baby boomers will make up 6% of the workforce due to their retirement. Millennials and Generation X are reshaping the modern workplace to fit their needs by prioritizing the values of the company and diversity in the workplace and by demanding more freedom, especially in the flexibility of working hours, as well as the availability of digital innovations.

30. Around 41% of managers believe that employees face heavy competition in the workplace, statistics reveal.

(RH, INC)

Following a 2012 study, 41% of the interviewed managers believe that their company’s environment is more competitive than it was a decade ago, and 8% noted that the rivalry between coworkers is drastically bigger than that of 10 years ago. However, the majority of management responders believe that there are no important changes regarding competitiveness.

In another report, 38% of employees believe that there’s not enough collaboration in the workplace because of competitiveness that sometimes turns from a healthy motivator into a toxic working environment.

31. More than one in 10 US employees are involved in workplace affairs, statistics suggest.

(Business Insider)

A recent survey shows that those who get romantically involved with a colleague are more likely to do it more than once during their careers. Workplace fun facts state that women are more likely to date a coworker than men, but they end up in more serious relationships than their male colleagues. Around 62% of responders in a recent survey conducted in the tourism and hospitality industries stated that they had an office romance.

These industries, along with the consumer product industry and the industry of retail and advertising, count the most workplace hookups, with some 59% of employees working in the first and 58% of respondents in the latter confirming this claim.

32. When it comes to gender inequality in the workplace, statistics reveal that women collectively lose $500 billion each year, due to the gender pay gap.

(CNBC)

In 2018, women in the workforce earned, on average, 20% less than their male counterparts. The persistence and amount of the pay gap seem to progress with professions that require bigger decision-making power and better finance management.

In 2018, the biggest pay gap was recorded in the field of financial management, where female managers earned 65% of the pay of male financial managers, resulting in a collective pay difference of $19.581 billion. The employment statistics show that female surgeons and physicians earn 71% of the pay men get in the same line of work, while female accountants earn 78%.

33. Millennials in the workplace — according to statistics — are the most reluctant to take a paid holiday.

(Statista, Forbes)

Stats on millennials in the workplace show that they have the bleakest outlook on work reality when compared to baby boomers and Generation X. Namely, the millennial statistics expose that around 25% of them feel uneasy when asking for paid days off.

Following the results of a recent study, most of the millenials felt afraid of becoming replaceable, losing their job, losing the respect of their boss, or losing a promotion if they go on holiday. Furthermore, statistics show that 48% of millennials don’t use all of their free days in a working year due to these pessimistic beliefs.

Conclusion

While the progress in the direction of diversity is indisputable, the modern workplace is still far from achieving a productive environment where talents thrive instead of burning out. Preserving physical safety and mental wellbeing while adding value to the company and achieving professional goals is the ultimate purpose of every employee worldwide. The workplace statistics show that there’s a long road ahead toward improving our professional lives, but our collective pace to reach this objective is becoming faster by the minute.