Solutions: How to Reset and Re-Engage Our People

What’s Causing Disengagement—and What Can Actually Bring People Back

Across industries and job levels, people are hitting the wall. Stress is chronic. Burnout is an epidemic.. And as Gallup reports, employee engagement has hit a historic low. Leaders are trying to re-engage their teams—but the tools we have are cosmetic and outdated. Recognition programs, bonuses, and motivational slogans aren’t reaching the heart of the problem.

This Solutions Lab tackles disengagement as a brain setting that can be intentionally reversed.

Understanding the New Landscape of Disengagement

Disengagement is not a character flaw or a motivation problem—it’s a neurobiological response to overwhelm, uncertainty, emotional fatigue, and lack of meaningful connection. When chronic stress, ambiguity, and disconnection persist, the brain downshifts into self-protection mode: energy conservation, detachment, and tunnel vision.

People may still be showing up—but their sense of purpose, creativity, and contribution has quietly checked out.