While new terms are regularly popping up—quiet quitting, coasting, checking out—they’re all describing an issue that businesses have long been facing: low employee engagement. According to Gallup’s 2025 report, only 21% of employees are engaged globally, while 62% are not engaged and 17% are actively disengaged.
If you’re looking to better understand potential underlying causes and practical ways to improve employee engagement in your organization, Arcora has the solution!
Recognizing Low Employee Engagement
Sometimes engagement struggles are more isolated and can be addressed on an individual level; however, if multiple employees are being affected, there’s very likely a larger workplace issue at play.
What are common signs of low employee engagement?
People tend to associate low engagement with lack of motivation, but that’s only one indicator. There are a number of other signs to watch for:
Decreasing or Inconsistent Performance
This might include employees shifting from taking initiative to simply checking boxes. Creativity stalling, quality of work that just isn’t what it used to be or deadlines being pushed or missed altogether.
Increasing Absenteeism or Presenteeism
Maybe there’s a surge in sick days, late starts or extra-long breaks. Noticeable dips in energy and enthusiasm. People seeming to just ‘go through the motions’—still showing up, but without being truly present.
Low Morale and Burnout
This can look like fatigued and withdrawn employees. Consistent murmurs of stress, overwhelm, heavy workloads or similar complaints, with no clear path to resolution.
If left unchecked, these situations can escalate from low engagement to active disengagement—outright apathy that can have reaching impacts on workplace culture and overall employee morale.
What typically causes issues with employee engagement?
If you’re seeing these issues but aren’t sure where they’re coming from, consider the following potential causes:
Leadership disconnect
Employees rely on their direct manager for guidance, feedback, support and understanding of how their work connects to the larger organization. Misalignment in any of these areas—including a strained dynamic between leaders and their teams—can lead to a myriad of problems, and even risks to psychological safety.
Gaps in recognition or involvement
Acknowledging individual contributions is crucial to ensure that effort isn’t overlooked. In addition to lack of recognition, if employees feel as though they have little say in decisions or are unable to see the purpose of their day-to-day work, they can easily become disconnected from the organization as a whole.
Too much work and not enough clarity
The constant pressure of a never-ending to-do list, roles that aren’t clearly defined and a lack of employee autonomy will eventually lead to active disengagement and burnout.
Workplace culture and communication breakdown
According to Gallup, employees who feel connected to their organization’s culture are 4.3x as likely to be engaged at work. Culture issues often stem from poor overall communication. At the interpersonal level, this manifests in ineffective conflict resolution and tense working relationships—all of which are detrimental not only to employee engagement, but mental health as well.
Addressing the Issue With Proven Engagement Drivers
Once you know the signs and common causes, the next step is to determine your course of action.
What are simple ways to improve employee engagement fast?
The following tips can make an immediate difference in your workplace, especially as a starting point in developing an overall engagement strategy.
Re-engage your leadership
If you want them to literally lead by example, engagement has to start at the top—with your leadership team, that is. Equip managers with the tools they need both to support their teams and be solid ambassadors for your organization’s culture and values.
Start conversations that uncover real issues
Don’t assume that you know what the issue is. Getting to the root requires connecting with your people. Again, start with leaders and then encourage them to speak with their teams as well. Be specific to gain real insight, for example: “tell me one thing that’s consistently frustrating you in your role.”
See what the data tells you
Fixing low employee engagement becomes more straightforward when you understand which areas of the organization are most at risk. In addition to the qualitative information that you’ll get through one-on-one conversation, try assessing quantitative data like turnover and absence trends to help identify where extra effort may be required.
Create a culture of recognition
Start small: celebrating daily or weekly wins at team huddles, sharing a sincere “thanks” whenever possible and encouraging colleagues to cheer each other on. If you can, establishing a more formal employee recognition program is even more impactful, and there are plenty of free resources available to help you find what fits for your organization.
What makes coaching a high-impact engagement driver?
If you’re looking to improve employee engagement for the long run, a well-implemented coaching program—especially leadership coaching—can do wonders by:
Boosting emotional intelligence
Leaders with solid emotional intelligence are more self-aware and empathetic. They’re also better at understanding others, which helps with conflict resolution, communication and healthier working relationships.
Offering clarity and confidence
Teams benefit immensely from leaders who are self-assured and have a fulsome understanding of their role. Arcora uses the brief coaching method, which emphasizes goal setting and progress tracking—both for accountability and to help clients identify growth. The result? Leaders gain meaningful skills and knowledge that they can directly apply in their work.
Strengthening team dynamics
Through coaching, managers can refine their leadership approach to better meet the needs of their teams. In turn, they’re better equipped to create an environment where people want to bring their best: fostering collaboration, creativity and organizational alignment.
Building key competencies
Coaching can resolve leadership disconnects by addressing specific growth areas. With Arcora, clients choose from a wide range of relevant focus areas—including leadership-specific skills like mentoring, delegation and team development—and receive tailored support through one-on-one sessions with a professional coach.
Want to learn more about how coaching can transform your engagement strategy without the administrative lift? Book a coaching demo and we’ll show you how stronger leadership and focused development can help re-energize your teams.
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