The Engagement Crisis Leaders Can’t Ignore

Kelli Risse | Peak Performance Business Coach & Keynote Speaker | October 2025

When Gallup released its most recent State of the Global Workplace report, one finding stood out. Employee engagement has fallen for the second time since 2009. Only 21 percent of employees worldwide describe themselves as engaged, and manager engagement dropped from 30 percent to 27 percent.

At first glance, these numbers seem like another HR issue. In reality, they are a leadership warning. Engagement is not about perks or programs. It is about energy, clarity, and the rhythm of work that shapes culture.

Why Engagement Keeps Slipping

Many organizations treat engagement like a checklist. They launch surveys, create initiatives, and hope participation improves. But Gallup’s data reveals a deeper pattern.

Managers are burning out faster than the teams they lead. They are navigating constant change, heavier workloads, and blurred boundaries between work and life. When leadership energy collapses, culture follows.

Disengagement is not just emotional. It is expensive. Gallup estimates that low engagement costs the global economy hundreds of billions of dollars each year in lost productivity, absenteeism, and turnover. Yet most organizations continue addressing symptoms instead of the system that creates them.

The result is a workplace that praises resilience while quietly running on strain. Leaders mistake movement for momentum. They stay busy but not strategic. Organizations reward endurance over awareness. They push harder instead of pausing to realign. And teams mirror the leader’s state. If the leader is drained, the culture is too.

The good news is that this cycle is reversible. Engagement returns when leaders reset their rhythm, refocus on purpose, and rebuild connection.

Three Leadership Shifts That Revive Engagement

1. Reset the rhythm.
Replace urgency with cadence. Sustainable performance requires intentional recovery and reflection. Build structured pauses into the week so teams can think, not just react. This rhythm reduces strain and builds long-term stability.

2. Refocus leadership development.
Stop training managers only on process and metrics. Invest in emotional intelligence, communication, and self-leadership. When leaders manage their own energy, they model clarity and composure for others. Engagement always starts from the top.

3. Reinforce clarity.
Confusion drains energy faster than workload. Employees need to understand what matters, why it matters, and how their work connects to the bigger picture. Clarity builds confidence, and confidence drives commitment.

The Path Forward

Culture does not collapse in one dramatic moment. It erodes gradually, in the days when leaders are too busy to connect, too tired to recognize effort, or too overwhelmed to communicate vision.

The path forward is not about doing more. It is about leading better. Engagement grows in environments where people feel seen, supported, and aligned with purpose.

Ease is not the opposite of success. It is the foundation that sustains it.

Kelli Risse works with business owners, leaders, and sales professionals to maximize productivity, avoid burnout, and retain top talent.

Check out her latest book, Mindset Mastery: 25 Principles to Outsmart Burnout and Redefine Success, available now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DWN9DRZB

Learn more about her speaking, coaching, and consulting services at: https://www.kellirisse.com