'Managers believe they're stepping up, but employees don’t always see it'
Managers feel that they are more engaged amid changes in their roles in the past three years – but their employees think otherwise.
This is according to the latest research from the American Management Association (AMA), which polled 1,319 respondents to find a perception gap between managers and employees on engagement levels.
More than half of managers (59%) in the poll believe their engagement has increased in the past one to three years amid shifts in their roles.
However, 64% of individual contributors said their managers' engagement had stayed the same, while a further 16% said their managers' engagement had decreased.
The findings come amid previous reports of an engagement crisis in leadership, where engagement levels among managers dropped to 27% globally.
Managers even said that they would trade away their job title to feel engaged (46%), while another 26% said they considered quitting their job because of disengagement.
Perception gaps at work
The disconnect between managers and the workforce when it comes to engagement may stem from how they view or experience engagement.
According to the report, managers said managing expanded workloads, helping employees navigate change, and collaboration were the new urgent parts of their roles.
They have also cited decision-making and problem-solving as the most important parts of their roles in the past year.
"Managers may be aware of their increased cognitive engagement, while employees most likely do not directly observe this," the report read.
It added that managers may not be very effective in communicating and collaborating, despite recognising them as important functions.
"In other words, managers may not be communicating their decisions and solutions to employees effectively; thus, employees perceive managers' engagement as static or diminishing," the report stated.
Manny Avramidis, President & CEO of the AMA, said the disconnect is a "critical challenge for organisations."
"Managers believe they're stepping up, but employees don't always see it. Closing this perception gap requires sharper communication, stronger coaching, and more intentional collaboration," Avramidis said in a statement.
"Organisations can't afford to overlook this gap. As expectations for managers intensify, the ability to connect with employees and foster a collaborative culture will define success."
