Employee engagement has been a measure of organisational health for decades, but the rules of engagement have shifted. For the last 15 years, there has been a boom in employee engagement with surveys and measures forming part of leadership dashboards. We see percentages used to try and explain retention, productivity and well-being.
But in a post-pandemic world, we need to be clear about what engagement really means for organisations – and for leaders to be honest about how important it is.
Defining engagement: Past and present
The four enablers of engagement
In 2009, at the request of the United Kingdom’s then-Secretary of State for Business, researchers David MacLeod and Nita Clarke delivered a report that outlined the Four Enablers of Engagement. The goal was to answer three questions: What is employee engagement? Is there evidence to suggest it matters? What elements are present in organisations that are successfully engaging their people?
They concluded that the four enablers are:
- Strategic Narrative: There’s a clear story or vision about where you’re going.
- Engaging Managers: Managers who involve people, support and give direction.
- Employee Voice: People feel heard and like that they are able to speak up and offer feedback.
- Organisational Integrity: Employees can trust leaders to do as they say.
The problem is 2009 was a long time ago—not only in relation to the pandemic and the impact that it’s had but also in the type of work people do, the volatile world we live in today, the technology that has changed in that time and the general globalisation of the world of work. So, what does employee engagement look like today?
The five key drivers of employee engagement
In 2025, Gallup identified five essential elements that consistently drive engagement:
- Purpose: Doing work that feels meaningful and mission-driven
- Development: Having opportunities to learn and grow
- Caring Managers: Feeling supported by someone who genuinely cares
- Ongoing Conversations: Receiving consistent feedback and coaching
- Focus On Strengths: Being encouraged to use what you do best every day
There is some overlap between Gallup’s elements and The Four Enablers, but also some clear differences. For example, “purpose” and “strategic narrative” are both about meaning and direction. “Development” loosely links to “engaging managers,” but development is not explicit in The Four Enablers. “Caring managers” aligns with “engaging managers,” but caring also implies emotional or relational support, not just managerial competence.
In several instances, Gallup’s wording feels more relevant to today’s work challenges. For example, Gallup places more emphasis on how managers treat people, which is no surprise after the increased focus on well-being following the pandemic. “Ongoing conversations” is tied to “employee voice” and “engaging managers,” but Gallup’s wording is a stronger, more active version that has more meaning to people outside of the HR and communication space. The “focus on strengths” is less visible in 2009. The Four Enablers are more about the workplace environment, whereas Gallup’s focus on strengths and development is more about the individual.
What this means for leaders
The Institute of Leadership found that employee engagement is the number one success metric for leaders, even above customer satisfaction. This is an interesting statistic in light of the recent wave of middle managers being cut across large organisations and reports of just how miserable managers are at work (paywall). If engaging managers is key to employee engagement, and employee engagement is the measure of success for leaders, something isn’t adding up.
Thinking about what has changed in the last 15 years, and how the engagement enablers and drivers are evolving, we need to understand what this means for organisations today. Here’s my advice as an organisational communication expert:
Focus more on the individual
The newer Gallup drivers give more space to personal growth and strengths. The older model is more about organisational systems: narrative, managers, integrity, voice. However, the individual dimension has become more explicit and better aligns with other shifts we have seen in personality changes.
Be intentional about work relationships
“Ongoing conversations” implies that engagement is not a one-off (e.g., an annual survey). Employees today are looking for dynamic coaching, feedback and relational upkeep. This requires a significant shift in the role of the manager and the skills needed to succeed.
Build credibility and trust through communication
Organisational integrity is expressly listed in The Four Enablers, but in Gallup’s model, things like “caring managers,” “ongoing conversations” and “focus on strengths” depend on trust and credibility. In other words, integrity is woven in rather than being a separate enabler. This is why building credibility has to be the focus for leaders and managers at every level. Because if there’s no integrity/trust, purpose feels hollow, caring managers don’t seem genuine and conversations aren’t believed.
Invest in line manager and middle manager skills
In both models, managers matter, but in 2025 we need to place more weight on giving line managers the skills, time and capacity to do this work. “Caring managers,” “ongoing conversations” and “development” demand more of managers than just being channels for passing along messages. Defining what a manager looks like in your organisation and creating the space to enable that is going to be a key driver for success here.
Take ownership of engagement in every department and at every level
The biggest difference between 2009 and today is that the requirement for engagement is more specific and more actionable for individuals. The broader categories from 2009 allowed employee engagement to be the responsibility of a function or a group, but as the world of work evolves, it’s clear that this is much more about the individual relationships an employee has with those they work with. Thus, leaders at every level and every department should be trained accordingly.
Employee engagement today is about leadership behaviours, communication and credibility. With the support from HR and communication functions, employee engagement should now be part of the job description for every leader and manager.
This article was originally published on Forbes Business Council in October 2025.
