The 2026 Gallup State of the Global Workplace Report dropped recently, and one number in it says everything: manager engagement is at an all-time low of 22%, down from 27% a year ago. For the first time, Managers are no more engaged than the people they lead.
It’s pretty bad, but it’s fixable. Gallup’s own data shows best-practice organisations sit at 79% manager engagement - nearly 4 times the global average. The gap is focus and investment.
And then, The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report backs the same trend from a different angle. As automation strips out the predictable parts of work, influential communication, judgement and human leadership are what’s left and most important.
The new Manager role will be an influential human communicator - that's where orgs should be focusing on for skills development.