Manager engagement on the decline
Manager engagement on the decline
After a near-decade of trending upward, employee engagement in the workplace fell in 2024, sliding from 23 percent to 21 percent. In the State of the Global Workplace: 2025 Report, Gallup attributes the decline largely to a drop in manager engagement, which fell from 30 percent to 27 percent during the same period.
“Since the pandemic, managers have been asked to square the circle of new executive demands and employee expectations. We are starting to see the toll,” said Gallup.
Gallup estimates that approximately 70 percent of the variance in employee engagement depends on the manager. Researchers note, “The manager is either an engagement-creating coach or an engagement-destroying boss—and both relationships directly affect employee behavior.”
Alarmingly, it’s younger managers who are experiencing a steeper decline in engagement. Among managers under age 35, engagement fell five percentage points.
This raises an important question: Are young managers getting the support they need to show up to the workplace engaged and ready to foster engagement in their team?
Leadership coach Wendy McManus works with newer managers every year in her flagship program, Thriving Leaders Circle. She sees a recurring theme with the managers she works with; they want to be engaged leaders, but they’ve never learned how.
“Even when there are leadership development programs in place, most newer leaders struggle during the critical transition from individual performer to leading a team,” said McManus. “Most managers want to lead well, but lack support.”
The transition from contributor to manager is often the toughest change in a person’s career path. Newer managers find themselves needing a whole new set of skills that may be unrelated to the work they excelled at in their previous roles. At the same time, they may lack the confidence to ask for help or admit that they are struggling.
McManus designed Thriving Leaders Circle to give emerging leaders the training and support they need to stay engaged and excel in their new role.
Participants learn how to delegate effectively, give constructive feedback, bring out the best in their team, and develop the leadership capabilities required to increase engagement and efficiency. They build both the skillset and the mindset to lead with intention and impact.
“Thriving Leaders Circle is designed to nurture coach-like leadership, arming participants with the skills and confidence needed to ascend the professional ladder and leave an enduring legacy,” said McManus.
