Burning question:

How do you get employees on board with change?

Rita van Dijk

Change is easy to plan, but hard to do. Especially when employees feel little connection to their work or organisation. And that turns out to be far more common than most leaders realise.

 

According to the international research firm Gallup, only one in five employees worldwide feels genuinely engaged in their work. The rest simply do what’s required – nothing more. In the Netherlands, the picture is even bleaker: just 16% feel engaged, 75% feel detached, and 10% are actively disengaged – they complain, drain energy from their teams, and undermine collaboration.

Low engagement, high costs

This lack of engagement comes at a price. Gallup estimates that it costs organisations around the world $8.8 trillion per year – roughly 10% of the global economy. By contrast, teams with engaged employees are 14% more productive and have lower turnover rates.

Interestingly, Europe performs worst of all continents, with an average engagement rate of just 13%. One possible explanation lies in Europe’s strong emphasis on work–life balance: work is important, but not sacred. As a result, employees are less likely to form a deep emotional connection with their jobs.

What drives true engagement?

Gallup identifies five key factors that make the difference. Employees are most engaged when: 1. their work feels meaningful 2. they have opportunities to learn and grow 3. their manager genuinely cares about them 4. they receive regular feedback and coaching and 5. they can use their strengths.

These drivers become even more crucial when change is on the horizon. Change inevitably brings uncertainty: what does this mean for me, my job, my future? At that moment, an employee’s sense of engagement determines whether they embrace the change, disengage, or resist it.

Engagement can’t be built with PowerPoint

People don’t change because they have to. They change because they believe in why the work matters and why the change is needed. That requires ownership: giving employees the space to shape the change themselves, to experiment, to make mistakes, and to learn.

The role of leaders is equally crucial. Not just to set direction, but to stay in dialogue. To ask what the change means for the team. To celebrate small wins. And to recognise what has worked well in the past. Change, after all, doesn’t call for a rupture: it calls for a bridge.

Conclusion: give people a voice

Engagement in change doesn’t grow from plans or presentations. It grows from giving people a voice. When employees feel heard, supported, and valued, their willingness to move with the change increases. Real change only succeeds when people feel connected, to the purpose and to each other.

Because only when people feel engaged, will they truly move with you.