In any company’s workforce, the role of a leader is about so much more than simply guiding their teams through tasks. Leaders must also be driving forces for engagement at work, setting an example and energizing their teams to bring their “A” game. With such responsibility, what happens when leaders themselves struggle to feel engaged? What happens when leaders don’t have the tools or training to engage their teams effectively?
In the Kahoot! 2025 Workplace Engagement Report, we explore these questions and more with insights from over 200 HR and training managers and above in the US and UK. Discover highlights from the data below, or download the free report to get access to the full survey findings.
Leader and employee disengagement create a vicious cycle for workforces
Nearly half of leaders surveyed say they would give up their management position to feel engaged at work, and more than 1 in 4 have considered quitting in the last year due to disengagement. This follows Gallup’s recent reporting that managers experienced the largest dip in engagement last year. What is causing this leadership energy crisis? According to those surveyed, the biggest driver of manager disengagement is emotional exhaustion from trying to motivate disengaged employees. This underscores how strongly manager and employee engagement are connected, and how it can create a downward spiral for both when one side slips. For an organization to foster an engaged workforce, it’s clear that both leaders and their teams must be supported and set up for success.
Lack of tools and training leaves leaders unprepared to re-engage their teams
To turn the tide on declining engagement, leaders need a robust employee engagement strategy. However, more than half of leaders surveyed say they have never received extensive employee engagement training, and only 17% say their company always provides effective tools to keep their team motivated. The result: 70% of leaders say their team engagement efforts are falling short. To empower leaders to rise to the re-engagement challenge, organizations must first ensure they are equipped with the skills and resources they need to spark motivation and connect their teams.
Engaging Gen Z employees requires a new approach
For many leaders, the entrance of more Gen Z’ers into the workforce has made team engagement more complex, with 61% of leaders saying that Gen Z is the most difficult generation to engage. Trying to keep Gen Z employees engaged consistently is also the top cause of burnout for more than 1 in 3 leaders.
Successfully engaging Gen Z is vital to companies’ long-term success—not only to develop fresh talent and foster future leaders, but also to prevent burnout and disengagement among current leaders. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach for engaging younger employees, experiences that feel accessible, relevant, and relatable—such as gamification and microlearning—have been successful in numerous companies.
Engage your workforce with Kahoot! 360!
Leaders can create and deliver engaging presentations, training, and events with the easy-to-use tools of Kahoot! 360, the ultimate workforce engagement platform. For example, instantly transform existing materials like slides or training documents into interactive experiences with AI tools, and make engaging learning content accessible across the organization.
To spark participation in live training sessions and meetings, use presentation mode and Q&A, or encourage employees to learn at their own pace with bite-sized content and in-depth courses. After employees complete the experience, measure participation and understanding with Kahoot! 360’s analytics, which provide insights into a team’s engagement and learning needs.
Ready to power up engagement across your workforce? Get started with Kahoot! 360 today!
Unlock the full Kahoot! 2025 Workplace Engagement Report for free.
