We’ve spent decades trying to fix engagement with surveys, slogans, and programs that speak to everyone but perhaps don’t have the reach we really think. Engagement isn’t a single dial leaders can turn. It’s personal. People are motivated by different things, at different times, and for different reasons.
Engagement efforts still start at the top and move too slowly. By the time the data is gathered, analyzed, and turned into an action plan, employees have already tuned out. Those company-wide strategies don’t always address what really matters, which is how each person experiences their work every day.
If we want real change, we have to start making employee engagement efforts on an individual basis and designing it as an individual experience. That means understanding what drives each person to care, contribute, and stay.
The cost of disengagement isn’t abstract. Gallup estimates that low engagement drains about 9 percent of global GDP. That’s not just a financial number, it’s lost creativity, collaboration, and human potential.
What the Data Says
Employee engagement is slipping again, and the numbers tell a story leaders can’t afford to ignore. Gallup’s 2024 report shows global engagement has dropped, with the sharpest decline among managers. When managers lose their spark, it spreads. Teams tend to mirror the tone and energy of their leaders, so if leaders are disengaged or exhausted, that feeling filters through the organization.
This matters because engagement isn’t just about how people feel at work, it directly affects performance, retention, and innovation. Yet we are still collectively leaning on the same playbook that hasn’t really delivered results. The old levers just don’t pull as hard as they used to.
Recognition, for example, remains one of the most powerful ways to boost engagement, but it’s also one of the first things to disappear when workloads get heavy. Research from Workhuman and Gallup found that consistent, high-quality recognition can reduce voluntary turnover by nearly half. Still, recognition is becoming less frequent and often feels less genuine. When people stop hearing that their work matters, they start to believe that it doesn’t.
Growth is another key driver. SHRM’s State of the Workplace report links clear career paths to both mental wellbeing and engagement. When employees can see how their role connects to their future, when they understand how their skills can grow, they’re more likely to stay invested. Without that clarity, even your most committed people will start to drift.
Listening may be the simplest yet most overlooked engagement strategy. A McKinsey study confirmed what most good leaders already know: motivation looks different for everyone. Some people are driven by mastery, others by impact, autonomy, or belonging. The most effective engagement “programs” aren’t really programs at all, they’re conversations. When leaders take the time to ask what drives each person and make small adjustments to reflect that, performance naturally follows.
And finally, the modern workplace is changing faster than most companies can keep up. Employees want to use AI and automation to remove repetitive work and focus on high-value, creative tasks. Too often, leaders lag behind that shift, creating a gap between what employees know is possible and what their workplace allows. That gap breeds frustration, fatigue, and disengagement, not because people don’t want to work hard, but because their potential is being wasted.
Engagement is Personal…so Design it for Each Person!
If engagement is personal, it has to be designed for the person. Research on human motivation consistently points to three universal needs: autonomy, mastery, and relatedness. People want a sense of control over how they do their work, the ability to keep growing their skills, and meaningful connection with others. But not everyone values these in the same way. Some people thrive when they’re given freedom and trust; others light up when they’re learning something new or working closely with a team. This is why a one-size-fits-all engagement program never really works, what fuels one person can completely miss the mark for another. Real engagement happens when organizations stop guessing what motivates people and start listening, observing, and adapting to the mix of drivers that make each person want to contribute their best.
Here is a practical way to locate and act on individual motivators without creating chaos for managers.
Understand Each Person’s Motivators
Engagement starts with understanding what actually drives people, not guessing, and not relying on assumptions about what “most employees” want. Every individual has their own internal equation for motivation, and the best way to uncover it is through a structured yet human conversation.
At Archetype HR, Greg Hussey and I (from Impact HR) have developed a motivation assessment designed to do exactly that. The assessment maps individuals to ten easy-to-grasp archetypes that reflect their natural motivators and engagement triggers. It’s not about boxing people into categories, it’s about giving leaders and teams a shared language for what energizes them. Whether someone values stability or someone who thrives on new challenges, or someone who’s motivated by relationships and collaboration, these insights create a foundation for better conversations, stronger relationships, and more thoughtful leadership.
It’s meant to be simple, accessible, and immediately usable, and a tool that sparks curiosity and dialogue, not paperwork or analysis paralysis. Once leaders understand what drives their people, they can adapt their communication, feedback, and recognition in ways that resonate.
To make this practical, start with two questions in your regular one-on-ones:
- What level of autonomy do you need in your day-to-day that keeps you motivated?
- How do you like to receive performance feedback and coaching?
These questions, paired with motivational insight, create space for real engagement. They move the conversation from check-ins to something more meaningful, which is a dialogue about how to make work feel purposeful for each individual.
Match Work to Motivators in Small, Concrete ways
- Employees needing autonomy – Give clear outcomes and flexibility in how they get there. Reduce status meetings. Increase decision rights on their projects.
- Employees needing development – Offer stretch tasks with coaching. Make progress visible. Tie recognition to skill growth, not only results.
- Employees needing collaboration – Assign cross-functional work, customer-facing moments, or mentoring roles. Make recognition social and specific.
Modernize Recognition
For some people, recognition works best when it is specific, near the moment, and linked to what the person values. The data is clear. Consistent, high-quality recognition boosts engagement and can cut voluntary turnover nearly in half. If your rhythm has slipped, rebuild it with two guardrails:
- Every manager gives at least one personalized thank-you weekly.
- Peers can publicly recognize each other in a shared channel.
Track it. Make it effortless. Avoid vague “great job” notes. Tie praise to the behaviors and outcomes you want more of.
Make Development Visible
Generally speaking, people engage most deeply when they can see how today’s work connects to tomorrow’s opportunities. Yet in many organizations, growth can feel a bit vague through annual reviews. Real development is broader than that. It’s about showing people how they can grow within their current role, across departments, or into entirely new areas of contribution.
Start by publishing clear role expectations and mapping out both vertical and lateral career paths. Show how a great coordinator can evolve into a project manager, or how a skilled technician can move into training or operations. Connect ongoing projects to tangible learning outcomes; whether that’s skill matrices, certifications, or portfolio pieces recognized in your industry. These visible milestones help people track their own growth and remind them that progress doesn’t always require a title change.
SHRM’s State of the Workplace report reinforces this link between development clarity, wellbeing, and engagement. When employees understand how their skills are evolving and where they’re headed, they show up with more purpose and commitment.
Reduce Noise and Give People Better Tools
Another growing engagement barrier isn’t cultural, it’s operational. Employees are overwhelmed by digital clutter, endless meetings, and outdated systems that drain time and focus. They want tools that make work easier, not heavier. The latest Microsoft Work Trend Index highlights a sharp disconnect: employees are eager to use AI and automation to handle repetitive, low-value tasks.
This lag creates a hidden form of disengagement, not because people don’t want to work hard, but because they know there’s a better way and aren’t allowed to use it. When leaders close that readiness gap and adopt technologies that actually lighten the load, engagement rises naturally.
Start by asking teams which tasks feel most redundant or time-consuming and look for ways to automate or streamline them. Freeing up even a few hours a week for focused, meaningful work can make a huge difference. Then, make sure you recognize and celebrate the outcomes that come from that deeper work, not just the hours spent doing it. When people see that efficiency and innovation are valued as much as effort, they lean in even more.
A Cadence for Managers
You do not need a significant investment to personalize engagement. You need a steady cadence.
- Weekly: One specific recognition moment per direct report. Make it timely and tied to what matters to them. Deliver the recognition based on their preference (public vs. private).
- Monthly: One conversation about motivators and workload fit. Ask the two questions above. Capture one tweak you will both try.
- Quarterly: One development checkpoint. Show progress, choices ahead, and the next stretch.
When managers follow a simple rhythm like this, the effect compounds. Given that manager engagement has slid and teams tend to mirror their leaders, this rhythm also gives managers a way to regain control of their own week and impact.
When leaders take the time to understand what truly drives each person, engagement stops being an initiative and starts becoming a natural outcome of how we work together. The future of engagement isn’t about doing more…it’s about knowing more about your people.
References
Gallup, Inc. (2025, April 22). Global engagement falls for the second time since 2009 (Workplace article by J. Harter & R. Pendell). https://www.gallup.com/workplace/659279/global-engagement-falls-second-time-2009.aspx Gallup.com
Gallup, Inc. (2025). State of the Global Workplace. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx Gallup.com
Microsoft Corporation, & LinkedIn. (2024, May 8). 2024 Work Trend Index annual report: AI at work is here. Now comes the hard part. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/ai-at-work-is-here-now-comes-the-hard-part Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation, & LinkedIn. (2024, May 8). 2024 Work Trend Index annual report (PDF). https://assets-c4akfrf5b4d3f4b7.z01.azurefd.net/assets/2024/05/2024_Work_Trend_Index_Annual_Report_6_7_24_666b2e2fafceb.pdf Azure Front Door
McKinsey & Company. (2024, August 21). What employees say matters most to motivate performance: Why employee motivation starts with listening (A. Komm, B. Weddle, & D. Maor, with K. Wagner & V. Breaux). https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/what-employees-say-matters-most-to-motivate-performance McKinsey & Company
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68 Self Determination Theory
Society for Human Resource Management. (2023). 2023–2024 State of the Workplace report (PDF). https://www.shrm.org/content/dam/en/shrm/research/2023-2024-State-of-the-Workplace-Report.pdf SHRM
Workhuman, & Gallup. (2024, September 18). New Workhuman and Gallup research finds recognition in the workplace could prevent 45% of voluntary turnover [Press release]. Business Wire. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240918942631/en/New-Workhuman-and-Gallup-Research-Finds-Recognition-in-the-Workplace-Could-Prevent-45-of-Voluntary-Turnover Business Wire
About the Author
Jori Chykerda, CPHR
Jori Chykerda is an experienced HR and operations leader with over a decade of hands-on and strategic experience supporting organizations across sectors, including First Nations, non-profits, health care, oil and gas, automotive, transportation, finance, and tech start-ups.
In her role as Director of Operations at Impact HR, Jori oversees internal strategy and delivery, while also leading key client engagements in HR consulting, workplace investigations, policy development, performance frameworks, and leadership training. She is the creator of Impact HR’s 3-day Respectful Workplace Workshop, now delivered to organizations across Western Canada. Jori is known for her thoughtful, values-driven approach and her ability to deliver programs that are both practical and impactful. She excels at building trusted relationships with executives and front-line teams alike. Jori is especially passionate about helping to create cultures rooted in respect, equity, and accountability, bringing clarity, warmth, and momentum to every engagement.
She holds a Human Resources Management Diploma from NAIT, a certificate in Strategic Leadership from Norquest College, and is certified in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion through NAIT. She is currently a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) in Alberta.