Alice Desbouvrie argues that employee engagement improves when leaders share a clear definition of what it means. Without that alignment, learning, communication and support become easily fragmented. Lisa explores why consistent leadership thinking matters, how disengagement affects performance and retention, and what organisations can do to build stronger workplace connection.
According to LumApps’ Future of Work Index Report, nearly 70% of senior leaders say employee engagement has become an increased priority for their organisation over the past two years. This shift signals genuine recognition that keeping people connected to their work matters for business success.
Training priorities shift based on which executive holds the most influence
But the same report also reveals that leaders define engagement differently. Some see it as employee commitment to the business. Others focus on job satisfaction, workplace culture, or productivity metrics. Almost 40% of leaders equate engagement with employee commitment, while more than 60% disagree with that definition entirely. For L&D teams, the result is an environment where training priorities shift based on which executive holds the most influence, directly affecting learning participation, skills development, enablement, and overall engagement.
The cost implications
This misalignment is a golden opportunity for employers. Right now, only 23% of employees report feeling truly engaged at work, and that disengagement costs the global economy $8.9 trillion annually. Organisations that can unite their leadership teams around a clear, shared definition of engagement will have a distinct advantage in reversing these trends.
When leaders agree on what engagement means, they can build learning programmes and policies that actually address employee needs. Without that alignment, even well-intentioned initiatives miss the mark because different parts of the company are working toward different goals.
Why shared understanding transforms results
When leadership teams align on what engagement actually means, they can make smarter decisions about where to invest time and resources:
- Learning and development programmes become more focused
- HR initiatives target specific outcomes rather than trying to solve everything at once
- Communication strategies reach employees in ways that resonate
This makes a difference for L&D teams because when leaders can’t agree on what engagement means, employees struggle to see the value in learning initiatives. They receive conflicting messages about which skills will help them advance, making it harder to commit time to development. Training budgets end up funding programmes that don’t build on each other, and completion rates suffer because people can’t connect what they’re learning to their actual work or career goals.
Leadership alignment is a necessary element for successful results. For example, one executive funds a recognition programme because they believe engagement means feeling valued. Another invests in skills training because they define engagement as professional growth. A third prioritises flexible work policies, viewing engagement through the lens of work-life balance. All three initiatives might be worthwhile, but without a unified approach, they become disconnected efforts that employees experience as noise rather than support.
Burned-out employees are 2.8 times more likely to search for new jobs. They also face a 180% increased risk of developing depressive disorders. When engagement strategies miss their target because leaders aren’t working from the same playbook, organisations lose talented people and absorb higher healthcare costs.
The multi-trillion-dollar global disengagement figure represents the difference between organisations where people want to contribute and those where they simply show up. Companies that define engagement clearly and consistently create workplaces where employees see how their efforts connect to larger goals. That clarity drives better performance, sparks innovation, and keeps people around longer.
Building connection through unified platforms
Closing the engagement gap requires systems that can turn shared understanding into daily employee experiences. Organisations need unified access to learning resources, consistent communication across teams, and scalable enablement tools that work for global workforces. When information lives in multiple disconnected tools, employees struggle to find what they need. When leadership messages vary across departments, confusion grows. Centralised digital platforms solve both problems.
- Start by uniting leadership around one clear definition of engagement
Bring executives together to discuss what engagement means for your organisation specifically. Document that definition. Make sure everyone who manages people understands it and can explain how their work supports it. - Create consistent access to learning and development across your organisation
Employees need a single place where they can find training resources alongside company updates and recognition programmes. For global teams, this means providing multilingual content with consistent messaging. When people can share knowledge and celebrate progress across departments in the same space, learning becomes collaborative rather than isolated. - Track learning participation and adjust based on real data
Monitor which training resources employees use most and where completion rates drop off. Notice patterns in how different teams engage with development opportunities. This information shows whether your engagement approach supports actual learning or needs refinement to better serve employee growth. - Personalise learning journeys for different employee needs
Tailor the development resources each employee sees based on their role, location, and career stage. New hires receive onboarding materials when they need them. Managers access leadership training as they grow. Everyone sees learning opportunities relevant to their specific growth path, making development feel purposeful rather than generic.
Organisations that align leadership thinking with employee experience today will outpace competitors still debating what engagement means. The difference between abstract commitment and actual connection comes down to having a shared understanding and the right tools to deliver on it.
Alice Desbouvrie is Chief People Officer at LumApps
