Manager engagement is slipping — and affecting AI use, Gallup finds
Summary
Global employee engagement has fallen for the second consecutive year, and the drop is driven mainly by a steep decline in manager engagement. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report shows manager engagement fell from 31% in 2022 to 22% in 2025, while non-manager engagement stayed low and relatively flat. Gallup warns this decline undermines organisations’ ability to realise returns from AI investments because managers are pivotal in championing and enabling adoption.
Key Points
- Global employee engagement declined from 23% in 2022 to 20% in 2025, per Gallup.
- Manager engagement dropped nine points between 2022 and 2025 (31% to 22%), driving the overall downturn.
- Employees who believe their manager supports AI are 8.7 times more likely to strongly agree AI has transformed productivity and 7.4 times more likely to say AI lets them do what they do best daily.
- Gallup CEO Jon Clifton stresses that manager support — not just technical integration — is a strongest predictor of employee AI adoption.
- Surveys from the American Management Association and Firstup highlight a perception gap (managers overestimating their engagement) and the impact of middle-management reductions, leaving managers stretched and less accessible.
Content summary
Gallup’s report notes that although global engagement remains higher than in 2009, the recent declines are worrying because managers influence emerging workplace trends such as AI adoption. The data links manager endorsement directly to employees’ willingness to adopt and benefit from AI. Complementary research from the American Management Association reveals managers often believe they are more engaged than employees perceive, while Firstup reports that cuts to middle management make manager support harder to deliver.
Context and relevance
This is important for HR leaders, team leads and technology sponsors working on AI deployments. Many organisations invest heavily in AI but fail to capture value; Gallup points to a clear human bottleneck: indifferent or overstretched managers. The findings connect to broader trends — lean management structures, communication gaps and the need for targeted manager training, coaching and clearer sponsorship to realise AI’s productivity gains.
Why should I read this?
Short version: if your AI project isn’t delivering, don’t blame only the tech. Managers make or break adoption. This is a quick read that flags where to focus — manager buy-in, clearer communication and practical coaching — so your AI spend actually turns into better work, not wasted budget.