4 Out of 5 Workers Are Checked Out. Here’s How Not to Become One of Them.

Every morning I ask ClaudeAI to curate world news and give me a pulse of what’s happening in a few categories of interest to me and relevance to my work. 

And recently one article popped up that caught my attention…

It was a Gallup report, and the headline read:

“The State of the Global Workplace report features annual findings from the world's largest ongoing study of the employee experience. The 2026 edition finds that global employee engagement fell to 20% in 2025, its lowest level since 2020, costing the world economy an estimated $10 trillion in lost productivity.”

Now, there’s a lot one could take from this, not least that the world economy is taking quite a hit. But that wasn’t what jumped out at me.

Because what this illustrates -- no, screams -- is this:

4 Out of 5 Workers are Basically Checked Out.

(Shocking when you think about it, right?)

And I wish I could say that’s not my experience with my clients, but it’s one of the first things that brings them through my virtual door.

Almost every single one describes:

Feeling that they want to do more than they are doing.

Procrastination or some kind of lack of execution. 

Having what they want and plan being misaligned with what they actually can pull off daily. 

Loss of motivation. 

Disillusionment or restlessness. 

Thinking they should “have it all,” but instead feeling deep dissatisfaction or lack of fulfillment. 

A fear that all they’ve worked for could become irrelevant, obsolete or replaced by AI.

The more I delved into this, the more standard solutions suggested productivity hacks to “help.” 

Overly simplified ideas such as:

Setting clear goals…

Time-blocking work periods…

Avoiding Multitasking…

(I could go on.)

But this type of advice is only a band-aid over the wound. (And honestly? Telling a strung out over-achiever to “time-block” would be a little shortsighted, superficial… and not very helpful.)

You see, it may come as a surprise, but this problem is not solely confined to the vast majority of employees or contractors… 

The truth is people in management roles account for most of the “recent downturn in employee engagement.”

So the first question we need to ask is why is this happening?

If you’re feeling unmoored, uninspired or unengaged, what might the real reason be? 

And what can you do to get your mojo back?

Why Are Managers Feeling So Unmoored?

Dive into the research and you’ll uncover a variety of statistical reasons why those in leadership roles feel so unmoored. 

Fortune.com cites a workplace “hit hard by a string of disruptions, from waves of post-pandemic retirements, disrupted supply chains, and the rise of AI. In fact, making it all work in the real world can be an “impossible task.”

Younger people are struggling the most. They’re “ambivalent” to promotion, preferring to stay freelance, or away from the responsibility of managing a team.

And yet… 

Remote work, while valued for its flexibility, correlates with higher loneliness (27% for exclusively remote workers) suggesting that “digital communication alone cannot replace the social fabric” of working in a team. (National CIO Review.)

But, as ever, stats often paint a one-dimensional picture of the world -- with a lack of real emotional reason and depth.  

No. The truth, I believe, is far more nuanced (and specific) than that…

Find Your Fundamental Reorientation with Life

Many of my clients are entrepreneurs who own their own companies. Yes, they admit they’re feeling fully engaged or at least not fully able to live it everyday and actually act from that place regularly. And yes, they can see a lack of connection amongst their employees too.

I can’t deny that at times their work feels like an “impossible task.” And I can’t deny that the threat of AI isn’t real, or the world isn’t governed by a heightened state of unpredictability…

But if  “unpredictability” in itself triggers fear, confusion and an uncertainty of what direction to take, or how to deal with life on a day-to-day basis. Then for sure it will handicap our forward action and momentum. 

And whenever my clients point to grand, sweeping, overarching pressures, I have to tell them the honest truth:

They’re operating from survival mode.

And it’s Scientifically proven that your prefrontal cortex goes offline when you're in survival. You literally can't fully engage, it’s counter to showing up with openness and curiosity, energy and enthusiasm when you’re in survival mode. You do not have access to expanded creativity at that time.

It’s hard to fully align your team in your vision and structure when you’re in survival mode dealing with change and unpredictability and unclear about your real vision.

But there is always going to be change. (Just look at the change our mothers and grandmothers stood for in the world -- or the technological revolution in the 1980s.)

The world is not going to stop spinning.

And that’s why, I believe, it’s so important to uncover what’s true for you, and build some clarity, resilience, and discernment into your life. 

Stop looking outside for answers, and instead go on a deeper journey to discover your deeper truth.

And it all begins with finding a healthy Fundamental Orientation with Life Itself. 

Meaning? 

Get to know yourself. Uncover who you are, what you care about, what your interests are, and why you want to do the work that you do. 

It’s true, there is so much in the news, in the world that you may feel you cannot control right now… 

But you can choose to be engaged in your life. 

You are the creator of your reality, and you have responsibility, the ability to respond, and ownership over your experience.

And the second part of being on this journey…?

Accept that Life is a Live Feedback Experience. 

The truth is, whatever you engage in, or whatever route life takes you, it’s a process, a learning experience. 

Every path has converged in this moment for a reason. And every job or role in your life is an opportunity to ask: 

"What about this sparks me?” 

“What part of this work do I really love?”

Then... 

“What am I trying to express and explore when I start here?” 

“How can I navigate myself towards more deeply fulfilling work?” 

(Boiling it down, looking underneath, uncovering what your “thing” actually is: now that's the thrilling part.)

You see, when you choose to Do the Deep Work, and navigate your life from a more nuanced, intentional way, you’ll realise that your relationship with life is a process, and life itself is a feedback experience. 

Life is a becoming. It's a constant, alive process.

Everything that happens, including difficulties or challenges (whether that be the impact of AI, or something else) everything is an opportunity to grow, instead of feeling a failure, or being a victim of something you believe is out of your control. 

You are an ever evolving human being. And what you want, need and desire is going to change, along with the world around you.

Life is busy and complex and unfolds sequentially. You can go through so many cycles and stages of life as a human being if you're aware it’s unfolding…

But you have to be engaged in the process, and engaged in your life to see it that way.

As I like to say, life is a beautiful opportunity. And, if you want to do it well it’s no joke. 

You have to be engaged.

Checking out may feel like the natural response... but if you want to live, truly live life, it’s not an option.

Love and Blessings, 🙏🏻💛🪷

P.S. Getting to know yourself, truly explore yourself, and uncover your Fundamental Orientation with Life isn’t easy In the culture and times we've lived in. In fact I don’t think many of us have an innate sense of what’s “true” for us -- what that even means, or how to uncover that.   

Do you?

If you need help or guidance on this, comment below / send me a DM. I’d love to know what this sparks for you.

P.P.S. Don’t forget to listen to this week’s Audio Edition, where I go even deeper on the subject. Just pop in your headphones, and I'll help you get some perspective while you go about your day. 

Listen to the Audio Edition here.