11th December 2025
Why Rebuilding Engagement Starts with Re-Engaging Managers
This guest blog post was written by Laura Cooke, Co-Founder and CEO of Positive Foundry.
For the first time in nearly a decade, global engagement is slipping again. This time, the story isn’t about frontline employees, but about the people leading them.
According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2025, only 21% of employees are engaged, marking one of the steepest global declines in more than 12 years. Interestingly, manager engagement fell the most, from 30% to 27%, while individual contributors stayed flat.
In other words, the very people responsible for inspiring, supporting, and developing others are struggling to stay engaged themselves.
Managers Are the Tipping Point
Managers don’t just influence engagement, they create it. Gallup’s data shows that 70% of team engagement is determined by the manager.
When a manager feels motivated and supported, that energy multiplies. Teams are more productive, employees stay longer, and performance improves. But when a manager is burned out, disconnected, or uncertain, that energy fades. It spreads quietly, ultimately lowering morale, clarity, and trust across the team.
This is the engagement crisis beneath the crisis. It’s not just that employees are tired. Their managers are too.
