Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2025 report sends a clear message: employee engagement is on the decline. Global employee engagement fell to 21% in 2024, matching the lowest levels seen since the pandemic began. This decline in engagement comes with a steep price—$438 billion in lost productivity. But the report doesn’t just highlight a crisis; it points to a powerful opportunity. Organizations that are ready to act have a clear path forward: invest in managers.
People managers sit at the core of the employee experience. They drive culture, shape daily work environments, and serve as the bridge between strategic goals and human needs. When managers are equipped, supported, and connected to purpose, they can unlock engagement and well-being across an organization. When they’re not, everything from performance to retention begins to erode.
Manager Disengagement Is a Flashing Warning Light
Gallup’s data shows a significant decline in manager engagement worldwide:
- Global manager engagement fell from 30% to 27%.
- Engagement dropped five points for managers under 35.
- Female manager engagement plummeted by seven points.
This group is under immense pressure. Since the pandemic, managers have faced executive demands that often conflict with employee expectations. Many are navigating team restructures, tighter budgets, and the accelerating impact of AI, often without the tools, support, or clarity they need.
Individual contributors didn’t experience the same drop in engagement—it held steady at 18%. That’s telling. It points to managers’ role as the lever, not just another data point.
This breakdown is deeply personal, too. Manager well-being also declined, with older and female managers reporting the steepest drops. When those responsible for supporting others are struggling themselves, the risk of cascading disengagement rises fast.
The Engagement Effect Starts With Managers
Gallup’s research highlights that 70% of the variance in team engagement stems directly from the manager. When managers are disengaged, their teams follow.
The impact of engagement ripples through every part of an organization:
- Higher productivity and fewer errors
- Better attendance and lower burnout
- Greater loyalty and retention
- Stronger customer relationships and sales outcomes
This isn’t hypothetical. Countries with lower levels of manager engagement consistently report lower team engagement across industries. The pattern is global and consistent.
Workplace Disconnection Extends Beyond the Office
The drop in engagement isn’t just about work. Gallup’s report tracks life satisfaction, too. In 2024, only 33% of global workers said they were “thriving.” In the U.S. and Canada, that number is higher—52%—but it declined by four percentage points in just one year.
Manager well-being is a key part of this story. Older managers and women managers reported the most significant declines. Stress, exhaustion, and a sense of disconnection are widespread.
There’s a strong link between engagement at work and overall life satisfaction. Half of engaged employees describe themselves as thriving, compared to only one-third of those who are not engaged. Disengagement at work doesn’t stay confined to the office—it shows up in sleep, stress levels, and overall health.
Employers Have a Clear Path Forward
Gallup lays out three concrete ways organizations can support their managers and rebuild engagement. Here’s how those recommendations align with the programs Inclusion Geeks offers:
1. Build the Foundation: Train Managers with Intention
Only 44% of managers globally have received formal management training. That number alone explains a lot.
When managers understand their role and feel confident in it, they’re significantly less likely to become disengaged. Basic training in role clarity and communication can cut active disengagement in half.
Inclusion Geeks offers training programs that go well beyond the basics. We help managers:
- Develop emotional intelligence and lead with compassion
- Navigate feedback and conflict with clarity and care
- Understand identity, power dynamics, and bias in real-world contexts
- Build team cultures rooted in trust and inclusion
This kind of training is essential for retention, productivity, and long-term sustainability.
2. Teach Managers to Coach, Not Control
The best managers coach. They guide, develop, and support rather than direct or dictate. Coaching is a skill that can be learned, and it leads to great results.
Managers who received training focused on coaching and people development saw:
- Up to 22% increases in their own engagement
- Up to 18% higher engagement among their teams
- 20–28% improvements in performance metrics over time
Our Values-Aligned Leadership program is grounded in practical, real-world tools. It focuses on empowering managers to lead through inquiry, feedback, and support. When coaching becomes a norm, teams feel seen, heard, and supported—and that’s when engagement starts to grow.
3. Support Ongoing Manager Development and Wellbeing
Training can spark change. Ongoing development sustains it.
When managers receive role-specific training and consistent support, their reported well-being jumps from 28% to 50%. That’s a 32% increase in thriving just from having both tools and encouragement.
Our approach includes:
- Peer learning circles
- Facilitated manager discussions
- Resource toolkits and plug-and-play guides
- 1:1 coaching for those navigating complex situations
Development isn’t a one-time workshop. It’s a mindset that must be embedded into workplace culture, especially for the people responsible for shaping it.
What’s at Stake: $9.6 Trillion in Lost Potential
The global cost of disengagement is enormous. Gallup estimates that if every organization reached the same engagement levels as today’s best-practice companies (around 70%), the world economy could grow by an additional $9.6 trillion—a 9% boost in global GDP.
No single company will close that gap alone. But the organizations that start investing in their managers now will lead the way. They’ll attract better talent, build more resilient teams, and create cultures that people want to be part of.
This moment calls for clarity and action. Leadership must move past performative perks and one-time fixes. Manager development is foundational.
What We Offer: Manager Training That Builds Culture and Capacity
Inclusion Geeks supports organizations that are ready to take this seriously. We partner with companies to design and deliver inclusive, research-informed, and deeply practical manager training.
Our programs help managers:
- Understand their leadership impact
- Build trust and psychological safety
- Adapt to change with empathy and strategy
- Lead diverse teams with skill and respect
These aren’t abstract concepts. They’re the building blocks of engaged, resilient, and human-centered workplaces.
Now Is the Time to Invest
Disengagement is rising. Manager burnout is spreading. And yet, the tools to reverse this trend are within reach. The organizations that invest now—in people, in training, in connection—will be the ones that weather disruption and emerge stronger.
Let’s create workplaces where managers thrive—and where their teams thrive with them.
Want to learn how to bring this to your organization? Let’s have a conversation about what’s possible.