On this interview, UC Right this moment’s Kristian McCann speaks with Stephen Baer, management advisor and creator, about one of the cussed paradoxes in trendy enterprise. That’s, organizations saying that individuals are their biggest asset, however then managing them on spreadsheets.
With Gallup reporting that 79% of staff worldwide are disengaged in 2025, Stephen makes a compelling argument. The way in which most firms measure engagement is actively undermining it. And the repair begins not with higher instruments, however with higher leaders.
Matters embody:
The invisible drag is costing greater than you suppose. Disengagement is estimated to value the worldwide economic system $8.8 trillion yearly — equal to 9% of world GDP. In the meantime, firms that genuinely spend money on their folks see a 3rd of common workers turnover and eight instances extra income per worker.
Quiet quitting has a inform. When staff cease saying “what if we tried this?” and begin saying “simply inform me the deadline,” possession, creativity, and innovation have already left the constructing. Compliance is what stays.
Metrics ought to lag, not lead. The precise query isn’t “what’s our engagement rating?” — it’s “the place are we shedding folks emotionally?” Instruments and platforms work greatest as early warning methods for damaged human experiences, not surveillance dashboards.
Practice coaches, not managers. Stephen’s framework — greet them, know them, develop them — provides center managers a sensible strategy to construct the form of relationships the place folks really feel seen, understood, and clear on how their work connects to one thing larger.
Subsequent Steps
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