The Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2025 report came out recently and there was one headline which stood out to me: Manager engagement has dropped from 30% to 27%. That’s not just a wobble, it’s a trend. Even more telling: younger and female managers are bearing the brunt of the disengagement. The people we need most, those shaping the everyday employee experience, are quietly burning out.

So what does this mean for L&D?

For a start, we need to stop pretending engagement is someone else’s problem. If your leadership programme still assumes the manager is confident, well-supported, and in control, it’s time to rewrite the brief. The reality is many managers are overwhelmed, underprepared, and navigating more disruption than ever before – tech, hybrid teams, changing expectations, AI. And they’re doing it while trying to look like they know what they’re doing.

AI is the elephant in the room and Gallup says its impact will be “unavoidable and transformative,”. As I mentioned last week, BYOAI is here and most employees (and most L&D teams) are already using it. Integrating it, understanding how it is a tool to support engagement is critical for both managers and L&D functions.

We won’t be able to skill our way out of this with another slide deck, elearning module or – perish the thought – a Notebook LM created podcast style briefing. What’s needed now is deeper: resilience, coaching, psychological safety, adaptability – for the managers shaping team culture every day. The best organisations will stop delivering one-off training and start building ecosystems where learning happens continuously, socially, and with purpose. How you as a L&D team respond to that is going to be an important crossroads for your function.

L&D has to get braver here. We can’t shy away from the emotional side of development. If we know that 70% of team engagement depends on the manager, then let’s treat manager support as a strategic priority and not an optional benefit. That means stop designing for the job title and scalability and thinking about designing for the person.

The next 12–18 months will test our industry. It might be tempting AI trends or rush to fix engagement scores. It doesn’t seem as if there is an appetite for that but dysfunctional teams breed dysfunctional behaviours.

How do L&D support creating conditions where managers don’t just survive, but grow?

Let me know in the comments.