Culture Matters

Jim Harter is Chief Scientist of Workplace Management and Well-being at Gallup — one of the world’s most trusted voices in understanding what makes work, and workers, thrive. Over three decades at Gallup, Jim has helped shape how organizations across the globe make sense of engagement, performance, and well-being. His research has defined the modern science of engagement. From pioneering the first meta-analysis linking engagement to performance outcomes, to co-authoring Wellbeing at Work with Jim Clifton, Jim’s work has influenced leaders, managers, and policymakers in every industry. In this episode, Jim and Subbu explore the evolving story of how people feel about their work: what drives engagement, why well-being can’t be separated from it, and how today’s hybrid workplaces are testing the limits of both. They unpack Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace 2025 report — from the sharp decline in manager engagement to the paradox of remote work, where autonomy rises but connection fades. We cover: How Gallup’s decades of research have reshaped our understanding of workThe drop in global engagement and why it matters more than most leaders thinkWhy managers hold 70% of the variance in engagement and what to do about itThe three habits of great managersHow engagement and well-being intertwine, and why one without the other won’t lastThe rise of “the great detachment” and what it says about loyalty and belongingHow AI and hybrid work are redefining the manager’s roleThe next frontier in Gallup’s research: strengths utilization and how it drives both performance and prosperity