At the end of 2024, Gallup traced a trend of increasingly disconnected workers in the US. They termed it “The Great Detachment.” This blog piece explores how this detachment manifests in teams and what leaders can do to create connection and purpose today.
The Great Detachment
As organizations pivoted to restructuring their teams, work schedules and expectations after 2020, employees were left to struggle with the massive shift.
Budget cuts, increasing workloads and unclear expectations may create unstable teams and leave employees feeling disconnected.
Added to this, the hybrid/remote shift means that managers fall behind on their daily connects and check-ins with their teams. This further alienates team members who need their manager’s feedback and touchpoints to feel included in the team.
Frustrated employees don’t have many options as the job market shrinks, leaving them feeling “stuck at work” and discontent. Naturally this disengagement has impacted their productivity and motivation levels.
So how can a business leader bring back the motivation and connection in their teams?
Start with Team Managers
You’ve heard it a hundred times before—people don’t leave companies, they leave managers. Managers act as the bridge between employees and their leadership. They are the connection between teams and organizations and play a critical role in building the culture of the team.
Gallup authors write, “Leaders must communicate an inspiring vision that people want to get behind. This is critical at the organizational level, but ultimately, the connection must be made at the team level. Employees need a manager to show them why their effort makes a difference.”
This means empowering managers with tools that help them personalize interactions, provide timely feedback, and connect employee performance with broader business goals. worxogo Behavior Labs found that 4+ manager touchpoints per month lead to a 25% increase in productivity. AI-driven tools can help managers check in with their teams frequently and consistently. So that every team member receives feedback and coaching matched to their unique performance journey.
Use AI to Zoom In and Zoom Out
In large teams, it’s difficult for individual employees to see how their work contributes to overall business goals. This is where an AI coach can help.
Daily, personalized AI-driven nudges help employees zoom into their performance, focus on what matters and build consistent habits. At the same time, AI tools can also help employees zoom out and see the connection between what they do at work everyday and its impact on the team and organizational goals.
A senior leader at a global retail conglomerate highlights this as one of the biggest advantages of using worxogo Nudge Coach:
It gave our associates the ability to see that the job they are doing—it might only be one call out of the billion calls they take over the course of the year—but at the end of the day, they see that it trickles up to a larger number, for not only their team, their management team, my numbers, and our overall organizational numbers.”
Senior leader at a Global Retail Conglomerate
Create Connections
While manager connections are crucial, senior leaders also play a vital role in fostering engagement. Frontline team engagement gets a boost when a senior leader shares a note of appreciation for a job well done. While you may not be able to deliver handwritten notes, AI can help leaders maintain a personal connection with individuals at scale.
A senior leader at a global banking firm shares his experience with the Nudge Coach:
As business leaders, it’s the best tool to get a snapshot of a large organization and also, when time allows, to drill down into true problems and really follow up in a meaningful way.”
Senior Leader at a Global Banking Firm
In Conclusion
Gallup authors write, “Improving the connection between employees’ jobs and the mission or purpose of their organization can lead to a 32% reduction in turnover and a 15% improvement in productivity.”
That’s an investment worth making, don’t you think?
For more on how worxogo Nudge Coach can help your team stay connected and engaged, click here.
