Following the Great Resignation in 2021 and 2022, 2024 began a troubling trend deemed “the Great Detachment.” This trend hasn’t led to employees quitting their jobs, but rather growing increasingly detached from their employers and less satisfied with their roles. According to recent Gallup data only 18% of American workers indicate that they are “extremely satisfied” with their jobs, while 51% are either watching for or actively looking for a new role.
This lack of satisfaction causes detachment and impacts productivity and employee retention. In this blog we will explore top workplace challenges for 2025, how to overcome them, strategies for reengaging employees, and the role that effective employee recognition plays in reengaging employees.
Detachment Related Workplace Challenges in 2025
The employment landscape has changed drastically in recent years. Staying informed of new and unprecedented challenges threatening employee satisfaction and engagement is critical. Let's explore some reasons for employee disengagement:
1. Inconsistent Work Models:
Challenge: Employees whose work models have changed from remote to hybrid to in-office and back again over the last five years are affected by the inconsistent work models and constantly changing routine.
Solution: Regardless of how your organization chooses to work, consistency is key to promoting communication norms and opportunities for collaboration across teams, departments, and the whole organization.
2. Rapid Technological and Organizational Change:
Challenge: Due in part to changing working models, the rapid advancement in workplace technologies and AI solutions, and drastic organizational changes post-2020, many companies are observing employee disengagement. According to Gallup, 73% of employees say their organization has experienced some level of disruptive change in the past year, which can cause employees to disconnect from each other and the company as a whole.
Solution: Minimize the number of major changes that your organization puts employees through. If big changes are needed, make them all at once. This helps employees adjust to a new normal. It also allows them to find chances to reconnect and reengage.
3. Employee Wellbeing:
Challenge: Since 2020 there has been a long overdue focus on employee mental health and the balance between employees’ work and life. Many employers realized that working remote didn’t really mean working less, but rather blurring the line between work and home. For many employees, this meant working longer hours, after hours, or during off-times simply because they could. This can lead to burn-out and resentment, contributing further to the great disengagement.
Solution: Implement employee wellness programs that prioritize mental health alongside physical health. This could mean an employee rewards program for physical exercise or mental health activities, or it could mean extra benefits like subscriptions to mental health services or fitness programs. You will be in good company, with a reported 86% of brokers citing increased investments in workplace mental health benefits.
4. Diverse Generational Employee Expectations:
Challenge: There are currently four generations in the workforce, all with very different expectations of their employers on how they should be treated, recognized, and rewarded in the workplace. One-size-fits-all employee experiences will lead to disengagement and even employee turnover. For example, remote work has become a double-edged sword for younger employees. While it offers flexibility, many young professionals report feeling isolated and disconnected from their teams and company culture. Some research shows that Gen Z employees struggle more with maintaining engagement in remote environments compared to older generations.
Solution: Align engagement and recognition by employee preference. According to a recent Forbes article, Baby Boomers tend to prefer peer recognition, Gen X-ers like informal recognition and rewards, while Millennials and Gen Z tend to prefer recognition and rewards that align to their purpose. When building employee programming, customizing the employee experiences is essential to ensuring the desired impact and reconnection to the organization.
5. Varying Impact of Remote Work on Generations
Challenge: Remote work has become a double-edged sword for younger employees. While it offers flexibility, many young professionals report feeling isolated and disconnected from their teams and company culture. Some research shows that Gen Z employees struggle more with maintaining engagement in remote environments compared to older generations.
Solution: To address this, companies should prioritize regular, interactive team-building activities, both virtual and in-person, to foster stronger connections. For instance, implementing monthly virtual coffee chats that pair employees from different departments, significantly boosting cross-team collaboration and morale.
6. Inconsistent Performance Management Practices:
Challenge: Many employers change how they manage employee performance over time. This means one review cycle may look different from the next. As a result, employees can feel confused and unhappy. They may also feel disconnected from their employer because they lack support in their career growth.
Solution: Use consistent practices whenever you can. When you can't remain consistent, clearly share the shift in expectations, career levels, and career paths with all employees in your organization.
3 Strategies for Reconnecting Employees in 2025
1. Clarify Expectations and Align Goals
When setting goals and metrics for the year, ensure that overall company objectives are clear and that at every level each employee knows what is expected of them and how they will be evaluated. Combatting employee disengagement starts with clear communication and consistent follow-through. This allows employees to work toward a goal and feel confident that their performance evaluation and measurement will remain consistent throughout the evaluation period.
Another way to reengage employees is to hold regular feedback sessions. These sessions can help address performance issues and align personal career goals with company objectives. Regular feedback sessions allow employees and managers to adjust course before there is a performance issue or a misalignment of goals, which can both cause employee disengagement. These sessions also allow for clear, open, and honest communication which helps employees stay engaged at work.
2. Strengthen Connection to Company Mission
No matter how you do it, whether in one-on-one meetings or with teams, stressing the company’s mission helps employees stay connected. When broad mission statements are repeated, employees can easily connect the work they are doing to that broader mission, and refer back to the company-wide mission and goals to ensure they remain focused on the right pieces of their job.
Connecting employees to the company mission can also include creating company-wide initiatives to help illustrate how different employees or teams are making an impact as an example to the organization.
3. Implement a Culture of Meaningful Recognition
More traditional forms of employee engagement, such as recognition programs, are popular and easy to administer. To make sure your company gets a good return on its investment in a recognition program, remember a few key points. These will help your program effectively keep employees engaged and happy.
- Year-Round Recognition: Ensure employees are recognized throughout the year when they perform in a way that deserves recognition, not just during a review cycle.
- Tailored Rewards: Giving employees personalized rewards or choices for recognition helps them see value in the rewards. This strengthens the bond between employees and the organization.
- Personalized Recognition: Employees want to feel seen and understood. Managers can create a stronger bond by delivering personalized messages that acknowledge specific efforts and their impact. For example: "Your attention to detail in the recent [project] ensured we met our deadline and exceeded client expectations. We deeply appreciate your contribution.”
- Incorporate Gift Cards: Gift cards are a great way to personalize employees' recognition rewards. By offering a flexible and personalized reward, organizations ensure employees feel valued and appreciated.
Gift Cards for Employee Recognition & Engagement
The Engage2Reward™ Gift Card Ordering Platform helps employers save money when buying in bulk. It offers access to over 300 top brands for their programs. Employers can also use flexible options like the Engage2Reward™ Choice Card, which empowers recipients to assign their gift card value to any of 250+ digital gift cards of their choosing in the Engage2Reward Platform. Prepaid reward cards are another popular option available through the Engage2Reward Platform, allowing recipients to use their card balance anywhere the brand is accepted.
Platforms like Engage2Reward also provide convenient features like reward personalization and instant digital delivery, a game changer for dispersed workforces. The platform also offers easy order placement, which takes the stress off program administrators. Whether your recognition program is part of an initial engagement strategy or a reengagement effort, gift cards are a flexible, easy way to provide personalized employee recognition rewards.
With the Great Disengagement upon us, leaders must take proactive steps to reengage their workforce and build a culture of recognition to maintain employee retention and productivity.
If you’re ready to add gift cards to your employee engagement strategy, register for a free account on the Engage2Reward Gift Card Ordering Platform today.
