The Great Detachment: Why Employees Are Disconnected From Work—And How Managers Can Fix It

During The Great Resignation era, millions of employees left their jobs in search of better pay, remote work options, improved work-life balance and better growth opportunities. Now, a few years later, many are ready to move on. But with a cooling job market, economic uncertainty and layoffs across nearly all industries, employees feel like they have to stay put in their current roles—even if they’re unhappy with them.

Employees’ growing dissatisfaction in their roles—paired with their need to stay put—is fueling the “Great Detachment,” where workers feel increasingly disconnected from their roles and companies. This disconnect is largely due to employees’ lack of clarity around what they’re working towards and their feelings that their employers are doing little to help, according to Slingshot’s Digital Work Trends Report. In fact, only 23% of employees say they feel informed about company goals, a stark contrast to the 84% of leaders who believe they’re effectively communicating them.

A lack of clarity isn’t the only reason employees feel detached from their roles. Employees are also overwhelmed with their workload and feel a constant pressure to be available after hours—all of which are hurting productivity.

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So, how can employers increase transparency and help employees to feel more connected to their work and aligned with company goals? It’s up to company leaders to communicate better and more often with their teams, offer the tools to help them manage their workloads effectively and create a culture where employees feel valued. While an end-of-year check-in or motivational email may seem sufficient, it often falls short of addressing employees’ expectations of their employers. Here are three ways companies can re-engage disconnected employees and evolve their workplace to better support teams:

1. Check in with employees regularly and encourage them to manage up

It’s easy for managers to get caught in the habit of assigning tasks based on who they think is best suited for the job. But without taking the time to check in with what’s already on employees’ plates first, they risk overutilizing some workers and underutilizing others. Giving too much work to an already overwhelmed employee can cause confusion about priorities, missed deadlines and lead to burnout. And those employees that have too much free time may feel unmotivated and undervalued.

To prevent this from happening, leaders need to check in one-on-one with employees more often. Regular check-ins with an employee, preferably on a weekly basis, offer managers visibility into what employees are working on, challenges they’re navigating and how they’re tracking against goals. This allows leaders to redistribute work across the team as needed, provide guidance on priorities or address any gaps in progress before they become a bigger problem.

It’s also up to employers to create an environment where employees feel comfortable raising a red flag when they need help managing workload or priorities and one where they can look to other team members for support. Two-thirds (67%) of employees expect their managers to foster an open environment for discussion, and 60% also believe that managers should actively facilitate meetings to encourage team collaboration. This can encourage employees to manage up and work directly with their team, so it’s not on leaders alone to manage their workload and priorities. 

2. Connect everyday tasks with larger company goals 

Regular one-on-one check-ins and team meetings are important for more than keeping work on track, they also offer employees a clear sense of direction. Without a solid understanding of how their work contributes to company objectives and goals, employees may feel like they’re essentially doing “busy work” instead of playing a part in the company’s growth.

It’s critical that companies overcommunicate their larger company goals and overall vision with employees. This can be done through all-hands meetings or accessible progress reports and trackers shared company-wide. Managers should also reinforce these goals to their individual team members as they start new initiatives or assign tasks. For instance, when assigning a project to an employee or team, managers should explain more than the task at hand, but how it supports a company goal, like improving customer experience, driving revenue or increasing brand visibility. When employees understand how the work they’re completing everyday ties into the bigger picture, they’ll likely feel more connected to their team and company.

According to Slingshot’s Digital Work Trends Report, more than half of employees (51%) say that having increased transparency into these goals would also help them to better manage their workload and drive productivity. With clear visibility into how tasks fit into the bigger picture, employees can better prioritize what’s on their plate to what aligns to company goals.

3. Set clear after-hours work expectations

More than one-third (38%) of teams feel pressure to be available outside of work hours, with easy access to work emails and messages everywhere they go–from their phones to smart watches. While extra hours may be occasionally necessary to meet deadlines or handle critical projects, expecting employees to always be available beyond their scheduled work hours can quickly lead to burnout, decreased productivity and lower job satisfaction.

Managers play an important role in both encouraging work-life balance and actively enforcing boundaries that protect employees’ personal time. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of employees want their employers to encourage them to unplug at the end of the work day and 55% say they shouldn’t be  expected to be available after hours. Without this ‘nod of approval’ from their leaders, employees may put the responsibility on themselves to always be available–even if their managers don’t necessarily believe they should.

To reinforce this, managers should lead by example and avoid late-night emails, respect employees’ off-hours, and ensure that urgent tasks are assigned with realistic deadlines. When leadership actively supports these boundaries, employees feel empowered to disconnect without fear of repercussions. This means setting clear expectations that after-hours work should be the exception, not the norm.

In order for employees to feel connected and engaged with the work they’re doing, it’s up to managers to curate an environment that will help their teams thrive. This means regularly checking in with employees to ensure tasks are evenly distributed, providing constant communication around company goals and setting clear expectations that employees don’t need to be available after work hours. By doing so, they create a workplace culture that prioritizes balance, clarity and meaningful engagement—ultimately driving both employee satisfaction and productivity.

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