Gallup State of the Workplace 2025: Apathetic Leaders & Employees

Published 07 May 2025

Author
Nienke Creemers
2 min read

According to the 2025 Global Workforce Report by American consultancy Gallup, employee engagement across the world has declined over the past years (see the Brief). Managers are now also losing motivation, leading to widespread reduction in productivity and staggering global revenue loss of $438bn in 2024.

  • The Disengaged Workforce in 2025: Across the world, 62% of employees report not being engaged at work (feeling unattached to their jobs and company), the same percentage as in 2024. However, the number of actively disengaged employees (those undermining their company's progress out of resentment) has grown by 2 percentage points, to 17%.

    Employee disengagement is most concerning in Europe, the Middle East and East Asia, where the shares on disengaged employees are highest. Only 13%, 14% and 18% of employees report being enthusiastic about their work.

  • Unmotivated Managers Spur Disengagement: According to Gallup, disengaged managers are a key reason for the drop in workplace enthusiasm. The 2025 survey shows a 3-percentage-point drop in manager engagement, from 30% in 2024 to 27% in 2025. Managers under the age of 35 saw a 5-percentage-point decline, while women managers experienced a 7-percentage-point drop.

    Concurrently, some young employees are refusing management roles, citing high stress and low financial rewards.

  • Leadership Training Boosts Motivation: As highlighted in last year’s survey, managers can set the motivational tone in organisations – if they are enthusiastic about their work.

    Training is key to keep people in leadership roles passionate about their roles. Managers who receive training focused on best management practices are 22% more engaged, and teams led by trained managers saw an 18% boost in engagement. However, only 44% of global managers say they received such training.