Why Leaders Should Fear the 23% Engagement Rate.

The global economy is a highly competitive and unforgiving environment. Corporations expect excellence daily because one mistake can cost billions of dollars and undermine the organization's reputation for generations. Profits and productivity must increase; if they do not, layoffs will occur. The stress takes a significant toll on people who help deliver value in companies, and we often fail to account for it. Otherwise, mental illness and inequality will collapse the global economy like a tower of beer coasters.

When you work in an office environment, you are in a state of anxiety. At every moment, your peers, supervisors, and customers judge you. You must act professionally at all times, which entails maintaining a stiff upper lip during adversity, a can-do attitude around executives, and a smile even when you want to scream. It is emotionally exhausting, and if you hold any leadership role, you must also manage the emotions of the people you serve. For decades, a rigid leadership culture demanded that leaders harden their feelings and wear a mask of command to intimidate others into compliance.

Today, that approach is counterproductive, especially given the expectations that contemporary businesspeople face. Many of these challenges are social rather than technological in nature. Business professionals skillfully manage challenging client and customer relationships. We spend a considerable amount of time navigating complex systems and navigating the feudal nature of office politics. Add typical family pressures and everyday inconveniences, and the result is a heavy emotional burden each of us must carry.

To overcome these emotional obstacles, many employees disengage from their work. It is simply easier not to care than to engage in the emotional effort to do your best work. According to Deel.com, only 23% of employees feel engaged at work. A statistic like that should terrify executives, yet business leaders consistently beat the drum harder for more work from fewer people, dominating the news. It is an ugly cycle.

What do we do to address this kind of mistreatment? What I am seeing is that workers are being more proactive in setting clear boundaries in their work lives. We are demanding hybrid schedules and more flexible work conditions, and we are not answering emails outside of work hours. Several acts of resistance are occurring daily in America's offices. One of my favorites is the long lunch, where people step out to get a haircut, do some shopping, or run errands. It is what younger people call "touching some grass," and if it improves customer service, I support it.

I cannot defeat an abusive corporate culture, but I can help the people I serve cope with it better. If that means the staff needs to spend some time touching grass, then I will let them because workers driven to mental illness or exhaustion are bad for business.

Until next time.