b'What Does This Mean? Employees Want to Grow, But Companies Arent Keeping Up. Nearly all employeesvalue professional growth, yet many companies fall short in providing opportunities.A lack of investment limits potential and hurts retention, motivation, and overallperformance. Without intentional learning programs, businesses risk losing talent toorganizations that actively support career advancement.The Key to Motivating People Lies in Understanding Them. Every employee has aunique work style and distinctive needs at work. Managers today must be highlyintentional about knowing their people and building strong relationships so they canunderstand how to effectively put them in situations where they will shine.New Employees are Being Left Behind. The first few months are critical forengagement and retention, yet only 13% of new hires feel their development is apriority. Many organizations fail to provide structured onboarding and training,leaving employees to figure things out on their own. Without early support, newhires may struggle, disengage, or leave before reaching their full potential.Feedback is Happening Too Infrequently. Regular feedback drives performance, yetonly 34% of employees receive meaningful feedback weekly, and nearly 7% neverreceive any at all. Without consistent guidance, employees dont know where theyexcel or need improvement, leading to frustration and disengagement. Managersalso suffer half of lower-level managers lack the feedback they need to developtheir teams effectively.Unclear Expectations Lead to Disengagement. Employees perform best when theyunderstand whats expected, almost 1 in 4 still report uncertainty. While this is animprovement from last year, mid-tenure employees (3-5 years in a role) experiencethe sharpest drop in clarity. Without clear goals, employees can feel lost,unmotivated, and disengaged.Recognition is Lacking at All Levels. Employees thrive when they feel valued, yetone out of every three dont receive enough recognition from managers. The samenumber feel underappreciated by their peers. Middle managers feel especiallyoverlooked, with only 58% feeling recognized by leadership. A lack of recognitionleads to lower motivation, while culture-focused companies see strongerengagement and retention.27 ENGAGE 2025'