Understanding employee engagement is essential for personal wellbeing, team performance, and overall organisational success. Simply put, engagement reflects how much a person cares about their job and how motivated they are to give their best—feeling proud, fulfilled, and excited to be part of a team. Yet despite this clear definition, engagement remains one of the most elusive challenges in today’s workplace.
A Global Snapshot: Where Engagement Stands Now
According to the Gallup State of the Global Workforce Report 2025, global employee engagement has slipped from 23% to 21%, a small shift with significant implications. This decline is largely driven by a worrying decrease in engagement among managers. And that matters, because manager engagement directly impacts team morale, productivity, customer satisfaction, and even sales.
The report further reveals that 62% of employees worldwide are not engaged, and 17% are actively disengaged—meaning they could be unintentionally (or intentionally) undermining the organisation’s efforts. In Australia, while only 12% are actively disengaged, a staggering 42% of employees are actively looking for new jobs. That level of disconnection has real financial consequences. It’s costing businesses an estimated $27,200 for every employee earning $80,000 annually.
Engagement Drives Results
But here’s the good news: engagement pays off. Highly engaged teams are:
- 14% more productive
- 23% more effective at closing sales
- Rated higher by customers
Put simply, happier people perform better—and when people thrive at work, the world becomes a better place.
What’s Holding Organisations Back?
Although engagement is widely recognised as critical to business success, only 30% of executives treat it as a strategic priority. Fewer than half of managers receive any formal training in it. The reality is, engagement isn’t just another metric to track. It is human, emotional, and deeply personal. It cannot be bought or enforced. It must be intentionally built, supported, and led.
Cracking the Engagement Puzzle: A New Approach
This is where Cracking the Engagement Puzzle comes in. It’s a new workshop designed to help leaders and teams discover what truly drives motivation.
The workshop explores seven core human needs:
- Safety
- Play
- Power
- Belonging
- Self-expression
- Inspiration
- Purpose
These needs are grounded in psychology, social science, and timeless wisdom.
The Bottom Line: Engagement Creates a Better World
As Brené Brown reminds us, “True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.” Engagement starts with self-acceptance, grows through connection, and leads to thriving teams.
Ready to Reignite Your Team’s Spark?
Book your spot in our Cracking the Engagement Puzzle workshop.
Discover how to lead with purpose, unlock motivation, and build a thriving, human-centred workplace. Let’s make work feel more meaningful, together.
