Alarming new data on employee disengagement is keeping corporate leaders up at night – and one antidote to it might just be lying on their nightstands: a book.

At the end of 2024 employee engagement in the U.S. tumbled to 31% – the lowest level in a decade; a Gallup report found employee detachment in workers 35 and younger to be a particularly concerning trend. Globally, that same report found employee engagement at just 21% and equated it to lost productivity costing the world economy $438 billion.

This state of poor morale can be particularly concerning for printing companies, who rely on teamwork to accomplish client and organizational goals. Think of disengagement as a virus; one team member’s lack of emotional investment or pride in his or her work can quickly spread to “infect” co-workers.

And while there’s no one magic bullet to reverse these trends, more companies are turning to a community-building activity usually found outside of the workplace: an old-fashioned book club.

According to OverDrive, having employees read and discuss a common book can bring employees of various seniority levels, skill sets, and backgrounds together in a shared experience, they byproduct of which is an enhanced company culture.

Women in Print Alliance is excited to jump aboard this community-building trend! Be sure to check out our first-ever Book Chat scheduled for June 26. This virtual event is an exclusive benefit for members of Women in Print Alliance and just one more great reason to join our dynamic organization.

Bonus! The first 25 women to register will receive a free paperback copy of our Book Chat selection: Something Major: The New Playbook for Women at Work by best-selling author, Forbes Council Coach, and CEO, Randi Braun. Register or become a member today.

OverDrive noted other benefits of workplace or industry-led book clubs, too, including:

  • Employee development brought about by selecting books that align with core business goals or professional and technical skills.
  • Increased understanding and empathy among teammates as book chats can encourage open discussion of diverse perspectives.
  • Innovation and creative thinking, as exchanging ideas and opinions about books can lead to outside-the-box thinking and fresh approaches to company projects.

Interestingly, these benefits were observed whether the selected group read was fiction or a non-fiction book more tailored to the company – though many employers jumping on this trend seem to be focused on the latter to marry higher employee engagement with a culture of continuous learning or leadership development.

Women in Print Alliance Professional Advisor Adriane Harrison, VP of Human Relations at PRINTING United Alliance, says she’s aware of printing companies that are now using employee book clubs as a way to strengthen teamwork and improve workplace culture.

“I know of one printing company that created a book club specifically for its senior leadership team to help elevate their teambuilding,” says Harrison. “That’s one way to utilize a book club.”

“Another way is to take an up-and-down the seniority ladder approach to create less scary, authentic ways for younger employees – those often most at risk of disengagement – to connect with their boss or even their boss’s boss,” she continued.

“Whether it’s an executive only or more inclusive employee model, the act of reading together builds community. It’s a social, yet thoughtful way, to get out of silos or chains of command for a brief time. And it’s healthier than an alcohol-focused happy hour.”