Only two in 10 U.S. workers are actively engaged in their work and are thriving as a result. The other eight — not so much. And who's at fault? Bosses from hell.

That's the conclusion of a Gallup data crunch that reviewed thousands of responses from managers and employees since the end of the latest recession. Despite an expanding economy and all the supposed "lessons learned" about management practices during and after the recession, employee engagement has increased only marginally, the pollster found.

"Gallup research shows that managers from hell are creating active disengagement costing the U.S. an estimated $450 billion to $550 billion annually," Gallup Chairman and CEO Jim Clifton said in a preface to the main report, "State of the American Workplace: Employee Engagement Insights for U.S. Business Leaders."

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Dan Cook

Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.