Sixty-three percent of U.S. workers are not fully engaged at the workplace and are struggling to cope with work situations that fail to offer adequate support, according to the new Global Workforce Study by Towers Watson, a global professional services company.

Based on this finding, it suggests respondents are having trouble maintaining a positive connection that leads to consistent productivity, which comes after nearly a decade of pressure to do more with less and take on the challenges of global competition, better technology and the continuous need for strict cost management.

"When workers are not fully engaged, it leads to greater performance risk for employers," says Julie Gebauer, managing director of talent and rewards at Towers Watson. "It makes companies more vulnerable to lower productivity, higher inefficiency, weaker customer service, and greater rates of absenteeism and turnover. Without attention and interventions aimed at improving on-the-job support for employees and creating a sense of attachment to the organization, this trend could worsen — and directly affect business outcomes. Companies have known for years that employee engagement is important to business performance.