When the internet discovers a new name for something, it really knows how to latch on. "Quiet Quitting” had a moment last year, and before that it was “Act your wage.” The labels may change, the underlying feeling remains. Employees no longer want to invest in companies who are unwilling to invest in them.

In 2025, global employee engagement fell to 20%, the lowest level recorded by Gallup since 2020, down from 23% in 2022 and 2023. Actively disengaged workers who are unhappy and vocal held steady at 17%. Gallup estimates the cost of this disengagement to be around 9% of global GDP, or roughly $10 trillion dollars a year in lost productivity.

The interesting note about this data is where the decline is concentrated. Manager engagement dropped nine points since 2022 and now accounts for most of the recent decline. This is significant because manager engagement has historically run higher than that of employees, and it suggests that something structural is happening. A disengaged manager affects the entire team.

“Quiet quitting” was never the real story. Lack of engagement and motivation are the real problem; an inspirational quote simply cannot fix them. Recognition, support, pay, and growth opportunities are invaluable to employees' quality of work-life. When they disappear, no amount of relabeling will change it.

However, there is a small sliver of hope buried in the same report: 52% of employees feel confident about finding a job locally, and after three years of decline, people are feeling a little better at work. All is not lost.

Companies that treat engagement as a communications problem will continue losing the fight, but employees who take control by actively seeking out environments that provide support and growth opportunities will always come out ahead.