It’s the end of the workday. People shut their laptops, silence the notifications, and head out. But the impact of the workday doesn’t stay behind. Some employees carry stress and tension home with them - worn out from a day of unclear expectations, lack of recognition, or disconnection. Others leave feeling focused and energized because their work felt meaningful, and they felt supported. That difference? It often comes down to one key factor: the quality - and the training - of their manager.
Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2025 report makes this clearer than ever. Employee engagement has dropped to 21% globally. In the U.S., engagement is higher, but still only 33%, meaning two-thirds of employees are either not engaged or actively disengaged. Nearly 1 in 5 workers around the world are actively disengaged, meaning they aren’t just unhappy at work; they’re also expressing that unhappiness in ways that negatively affect their teams.
But it’s not just about productivity or performance metrics. It’s about how people feel - at work and beyond. The data shows that engaged employees are more likely to thrive in their overall lives. In fact, half of engaged employees say they’re thriving. Among the disengaged, that number drops to just a third. And it’s not just emotional wellbeing that suffers. Gallup has found that disengagement at work is often linked to struggles in other areas of wellbeing too, including physical health, financial stability, and social relationships.
We also have to talk about managers. Their engagement has taken a significant hit, especially among women. Last year alone, the percentage of engaged managers dropped by three points overall and by seven points for female managers. Considering that 70% of team engagement is influenced by the manager, this is a red flag.
This is why I started Spark Engagement.
I’ve seen firsthand how much managers matter. When leaders are supported - when they understand their strengths, have clarity around what their people need, and use research-backed strategies to lead with confidence - things change. Engagement goes up. Turnover goes down. People do better work and feel better about their lives.
And that’s the bigger picture. Investing in leadership development isn’t just about checking boxes or improving quarterly results. It’s about creating workplaces where people are more likely to leave their day feeling fulfilled and energized instead of frustrated and depleted. When that happens, families benefit. Communities benefit. And organizations benefit too.
If we want to create real change, we can’t ignore the place where most people spend the majority of their waking hours: work. And we can’t ignore the people with the most influence in that space: managers.
Change starts there.
