Clear Eyes, Full Screens, Still Can’t Lose: Employee Engagement in the Age of AI, Hybrid Work, and Human Connection (2026 Update Edition)Part 2 of 5

The Engagement Gap No One Wants to Talk About

Why Hybrid Work Didn’t Break Engagement — It Exposed It

Everyone keeps blaming hybrid work for low engagement. But the truth is harder to swallow:

Engagement was already broken.

Hybrid work just made it impossible to hide.

For years, companies relied on proximity to mask deeper issues — hallway conversations, in‑person check‑ins, “management by walking around.” When the office disappeared, so did the illusion of connection. And suddenly, the cracks became impossible to ignore.

Only 32% of employees feel engaged.

Nearly 18% are actively disengaged.

Disengagement now costs companies $8.8 trillion globally.

But here’s the part no one talks about:

Most disengagement isn’t caused by workload.

It’s caused by uncertainty.

Unclear priorities.

Unclear communication.

Unclear leadership visibility.

Unclear expectations.

Unclear connection to purpose.

People aren’t burned out from work — they’re burned out from guessing.

After leading UC modernization for 300,000 employees across 170 countries, I saw the same patterns repeat over and over:

Employees feel invisible. If leaders aren’t visible, employees assume they’re on their own.

Meetings replaced clarity, not communication. More meetings didn’t solve the problem — they amplified it.

Tools multiplied, but alignment didn’t. Everyone is connected, but no one feels informed.

Culture became inconsistent. Some teams thrived. Others drifted. The difference wasn’t talent — it was communication.

Leaders underestimated the emotional cost of digital work. Hybrid work isn’t just a logistical shift. It’s a psychological one.

Employees want three things:

To feel seen.

To feel supported.

To feel connected to something that matters.

When those needs aren’t met, engagement collapses — no matter how many tools you deploy. This is why the companies thriving in 2026 aren’t the ones with the most software. They’re the ones with the clearest communication.

So where do we go from here?

This is where the story shifts.

Part 1 introduced the problem.

Part 2 exposed the root causes.

Part 3 is where we start solving it.

Next week, I’ll break down:

Part 3 — The UC Leader’s Playbook for AI‑Powered Collaboration

The five signals your collaboration strategy is outdated — and the five fixes that transform alignment, culture, and performance.

If you’ve ever felt like your team is busy but not aligned, connected but not engaged, or equipped but not empowered, Part 3 is going to hit home.

Hybrid work didn’t break engagement. It revealed the truth:

Connection isn’t automatic. It’s intentional.

And the leaders who understand that will define the next decade of work.