On this interview, UC In the present day’s Kristian McCann speaks with Stephen Baer, management advisor and writer, about probably the most cussed paradoxes in trendy enterprise. That’s, organizations saying that persons are their best asset, however then managing them on spreadsheets.
With Gallup reporting that 79% of workers worldwide are disengaged in 2025, Stephen makes a compelling argument. The best way most firms measure engagement is actively undermining it. And the repair begins not with higher instruments, however with higher leaders.
Matters embody:
The invisible drag is costing greater than you suppose. Disengagement is estimated to value the worldwide economic system $8.8 trillion yearly — equal to 9% of world GDP. In the meantime, firms that genuinely put money into their folks see a 3rd of common employees turnover and eight occasions extra income per worker.
Quiet quitting has a inform. When workers cease saying “what if we tried this?” and begin saying “simply inform me the deadline,” possession, creativity, and innovation have already left the constructing. Compliance is what stays.
Metrics ought to lag, not lead. The fitting query isn’t “what’s our engagement rating?” — it’s “the place are we dropping folks emotionally?” Instruments and platforms work finest as early warning methods for damaged human experiences, not surveillance dashboards.
Prepare coaches, not managers. Stephen’s framework — greet them, know them, develop them — provides center managers a sensible approach to construct the type of relationships the place folks really feel seen, understood, and clear on how their work connects to one thing larger.
Subsequent Steps
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