6 Workplace Warning Signs: What the 2025 Gallup Report Means for Your Managers and Teams
Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace report sends a clear message: employee engagement is slipping—and your managers are feeling it first.
Global engagement has dropped to around 21%, matching some of the lowest levels seen during the pandemic years. At the same time, Gallup reports that:
Manager engagement is down several points from last year.
Stress is rising and wellbeing is dropping, especially for managers.
The gap between healthy teams and struggling ones is widening—even inside the same company.
The story behind the numbers is simple: when managers are drained and disengaged, their teams follow.
You can’t control the global data. But you can control what happens on your team.
Here are six workplace warning signs to watch for—and straightforward moves you can make now to support your managers, protect engagement, and strengthen your culture.
Warning Sign 1: Your managers are always “on,” but their energy is fading
One of the clearest signals in the 2025 data is the pressure on managers. They’re carrying more responsibility, often with fewer real support structures.
What this looks like:
They’re in back-to-back meetings all day, every day.
They’re responding to messages late at night and on weekends.
Their tone has shifted from hopeful to cynical—or from proactive to purely reactive.
When managers feel like they’re drowning, they don’t have the capacity to coach, recognize, or develop their people. That shows up quickly in engagement and retention.
What you can do:
Say it out loud: “You don’t need to answer messages at all hours.” Give explicit permission to have an off switch.
Help them guard some “no meetings” time each week so they can think, not just react. Even an hour or two is a start.
Use 1:1s to ask questions like:
“How full does your plate feel right now?”
“What would make this week feel more doable?”
These are small actions, but they give managers just enough breathing room to actually lead—not just survive.
Warning Sign 2: Teams are hitting targets—but people feel flat
The 2025 report reflects a pattern many leaders recognize: performance metrics look fine, but the emotional temperature is dropping.
What this looks like:
Work gets done, but there’s little visible enthusiasm or initiative.
People describe their week as “fine,” but rarely as “good,” “rewarding,” or “energizing.”
You see more compliance than creativity or ownership.
This is the “silent disengagement” zone. People aren’t necessarily leaving yet—but the spark is gone.
What you can do:
In 1:1s, ask two simple questions every week:
“What gave you energy this week?”
“What drained it?”
Over time, you’ll see clear patterns.
Trade even one low-value task for something more meaningful—more ownership, a small project, or a chance to improve a process.
Connect the dots for people:
“Here’s how what you did last week helped a customer, a teammate, or the business.”
You don’t need a big engagement program to start. Honest conversations and a few small changes go a long way.
Warning Sign 3: Middle managers are stuck between pressure from above and silence from below
The 2025 report reinforces a critical point: manager morale is a leading indicator. When managers disengage, engagement tends to drop across every team they lead.
Many middle managers feel squeezed:
Pressure from above.
Silence from below.
Responsibility for results without feeling like they can really lead.
What this looks like:
Managers act as “message passers,” just relaying decisions from above.
They hesitate to give upward feedback or share what’s really happening on the front lines.
They’re unsure how to have hard conversations about performance, expectations, or conflict.
What you can do:
Be clear with them:
“Here’s what you can decide on your own. Here’s what we’ll decide together.” Clarity here builds confidence.
Teach simple people skills in plain language:
How to give honest feedback without crushing people.
How to run a simple, useful 1:1.
How to start a hard conversation without avoiding it or exploding.
Ask:
“What’s getting in the way of leading your team the way you want to?”
Then fix what you honestly can—even if it’s just one thing.
This is where a structured manager development rhythm helps. When managers get regular, bite-sized practice with real people challenges, they’re far more confident leading up, down, and across.
Warning Sign 4: Stress is treated as “normal” until someone burns out
Gallup’s 2025 findings show that daily stress remains high around the world. Over 40% of employees report feeling stressed every day—and managers often carry an even heavier load.
The danger is when constant stress becomes invisible because it’s so common.
What this looks like:
Jokes about “living on caffeine” or “always being behind” that never really go away.
People using vacation time to “catch up on life,” not to rest and reset.
Patterns of sick days or sudden resignations after intense project cycles.
You can’t remove every stressor. But you can decide whether your culture treats stress as something to talk about early—or something to hide until it explodes.
What you can do:
Model a healthier pace yourself. Take your own time off. Don’t praise people only when they “heroically” work late.
Build in simple recovery practices: a quick debrief after big pushes, a day with lighter meetings, a real “we’re done—nice work” moment before piling on the next thing.
Ask your team:
“What would make this workload more sustainable for you?”
Then adjust what you honestly can. Be clear about what you can’t change yet.
Managers who have words and tools for talking about workload, boundaries, and stress are better equipped to help their teams before burnout hits.
Warning Sign 5: Remote and hybrid teams feel fragmented, not flexible
The 2025 report highlights ongoing challenges with connection and culture in remote and hybrid environments. Flexibility is valuable—but only when people still feel like part of a real team.
What this looks like:
People feel like “lone operators” instead of members of a shared team.
Team meetings are mostly status updates, with little real discussion or problem-solving.
Newer team members struggle to build relationships and feel “plugged in.”
When remote or hybrid work is handled poorly, people get flexibility without belonging.
What you can do:
Add simple “human moments” into your regular meetings: check-in questions, quick wins, or a few minutes to talk about something other than tasks.
Pair newer employees with a buddy or informal mentor who checks in regularly, not just during their first week.
In 1:1s, ask:
“Who do you feel most connected to here?”
“Who do you wish you knew better?”
Then help them make those connections.
You don’t need fancy tools for this. Managers who can build trust, listen well, and create space for real conversation can make remote work feel like a real team.
Warning Sign 6: Development isn’t discussed—and your best people are looking elsewhere
Gallup’s research continues to show that growth, learning, and purpose are major drivers of engagement and retention. The 2025 data keeps that story going.
When development stalls, high performers don’t usually complain loudly. They quietly plan their next move.
What this looks like:
Development only comes up during annual reviews.
High performers are given more work, but not more growth or autonomy.
People don’t have a clear picture of what “the next step” could look like for them.
What you can do:
Make development a standing part of your 1:1s. Ask:
“What skill do you want to build in the next 6–12 months?”
Then look for projects, responsibilities, or learning that match that answer.
Offer stretch assignments with support: new responsibilities, small pilots, or leading a piece of work—with you close enough to coach.
Talk openly about possible paths: lateral moves, special projects, mentoring others, or deepening expertise—even if there isn’t an open promotion today.
This is another place where consistent, monthly development for managers and teams makes a difference. When growth is baked into how you work, not just a once-a-year conversation, people are much more likely to see a future with you.
The bottom line: You can’t change the global numbers—but you can change your team’s story
The 2025 State of the Global Workplace report confirms what many leaders are already sensing:
Engagement is fragile.
Managers are under real strain.
The gap between healthy and unhealthy teams is widening.
You can’t control the global averages. But you can decide how you respond to the warning signs you see in your own organization.
That might look like:
Supporting your managers so they have enough space and skills to lead people, not just push work.
Paying attention to early signals—flat energy, constant stress, “silent” disengagement—before they turn into burnout and turnover.
Making small, steady changes in how you communicate, run 1:1s, and talk about growth.
If you’re noticing some of these warning signs on your own teams, you don’t have to build a solution from scratch.
Growthstream is designed to help organizations develop managers and strengthen teams through simple, monthly online leadership development. In less than an hour a month, managers can build practical people skills—communication, coaching, trust, motivation, accountability—that directly shape engagement and retention.
You can’t fix the global Gallup numbers.
But you can equip your managers with the tools and support they need to write a different story for your workplace.