The Most Overlooked Engagement Strategy: Just Ask Employees How They Are
In a workplace increasingly shaped by dashboards, analytics platforms, and AI‑powered insights, it’s easy to assume that understanding employee engagement requires layers of data and complex behavioural analysis. Yet despite all this innovation, one of the most effective ways to understand how someone is doing at work hasn’t changed at all:
Ask them!
Why Asking Matters More Than Ever
Recent global trends show that employee engagement is declining. Worldwide engagement fell to 21% in 2024, down from 23% the year before – representing one of the lowest global engagement rates in more than a decade.
In the UK, the picture is even more concerning. Only 10% of employees report feeling engaged at work, making the UK one of the least engaged workforces globally. This disengagement comes with a staggering cost: an estimated £293.5 billion annually in lost productivity.
Numbers like these often lead organisations to search for new tools and technologies to “solve” engagement. While those tools have value, they can sometimes distract from a simple reality:
People won’t always tell you how they feel unless you give them a chance — and ask in a way that feels genuine, not performative.
A Direct Question Beats Indirect Monitoring
Many companies attempt to infer mood, satisfaction, or wellbeing through behaviour‑tracking tools or wearable technologies. These can offer useful signals, but they are still only signals.
A drop in productivity might suggest disengagement, or it might suggest illness, stress at home, confusion about priorities, or simply a bad day. No algorithm can interpret the exact reason.
But asking, “How are you doing today?” or “How are things feeling for you this week?” gives employees a moment to express themselves on their own terms. It replaces assumption with some clarity.
Managers Hold the Key, and It Starts With a Question
Gallup’s research shows that 70% of the variance in team engagement is directly linked to the manager.
At the same time, global manager engagement has dropped from 30% to 27%, with even sharper declines among younger and female managers.
This creates a dangerous cycle:
- Disengaged managers ask fewer meaningful questions
- Employees feel less supported and become disengaged
- Teams become less productive, increasing pressure on managers
And the loop continues
Breaking that cycle doesn’t require a new platform. It requires rebuilding a habit: intentional, sincere check‑ins.
A Simple Question With a Big Impact
Asking employees how they are isn’t about small talk, and it isn’t about ticking a managerial box. It’s about creating space for people to share the challenges or successes that data alone might not reveal.
Small, direct questions can make a measurable difference:
- “How are things going for you this week?”
- “Is there anything making your workload harder right now?”
- “What’s one thing I can support you with today?”
These questions take seconds, but they signal trust, respect, and care. And employees are more likely to share their concerns early, long before disengagement becomes a crisis.
Technology Helps but It Can’t Replace Asking
Tools that streamline surveys, support continuous feedback, or highlight emerging trends are incredibly valuable. They help identify patterns managers might miss and scale insight across an organisation.
But they work best when paired with the most timeless engagement tool available:
a genuine, simple question between two people.
The data is clear – engagement is falling globally, particularly in regions like the UK. Employees are feeling less connected, less supported, and less motivated. No amount of analytics can replace what employees consistently say they want:
To be asked how they are, and to feel that the question is sincere.
