Gallup data links decline in employee engagement to leadership issues
Analysis from Inc. Magazine suggests that declining employee morale is frequently rooted in failures within daily management and supervisor support.
Global employee engagement dropped to 20 percent in 2025, marking the lowest level recorded since 2020, according to data highlighted by Inc. Magazine. Experts argue that this trend stems from accumulated frustration rather than sudden shifts, driven by a lack of recognition, stagnant career development, and increasing workloads without appropriate support.
Gallup’s 2026 State of the Global Workplace report indicates that manager engagement has also declined, falling to 22 percent. This creates a critical disconnect where those responsible for driving team motivation are themselves becoming disengaged from their organizational goals.
As managers struggle, top-tier employees often withdraw their initiative, shifting toward a baseline performance rather than active participation. The findings suggest that the path toward reversing this trend relies on improving the quality of direct management to address the underlying causes of employee burnout and detachment.