The $8.8 Trillion Problem Hiding in Your Business

The $8.8 Trillion Problem Hiding in Your Business

$8.8 trillion. Every year.

That’s the estimated global cost of disengaged teams.
It’s a staggering number.

But what does it actually mean for you and your team?

Let’s bring it down to the ground—because disengagement isn’t just a concept.
It’s real. And it shows up in ways you see (and feel) every day.

So… What Does Low Engagement Actually Look Like?

It looks like this:
A deadline gets missed. You bring it up in the team meeting.
Blank faces stare back at you.
You push a little further—only to be met with a list of reasons, excuses, or finger-pointing.

"I thought James was handling that."

"That wasn’t in the scope I saw."

"No one told me it was due today."

Or maybe it shows up like this:
You get feedback from a client—your team has dropped the ball on a critical part of delivery.

You know they’re capable. They’ve done this before.

And yet… simple mistakes keep slipping through. The standard keeps dropping.
It feels like they’re just doing the bare minimum.

Or this:
There’s tension in the team. A challenge comes up.
Instead of stepping in and stepping up, they pull back.
No urgency. No drive. Just a quiet handover of responsibility—straight back to you.
So you push harder.
You pick up the slack—again.
You keep the whole thing moving—again.
And slowly… it wears you down.

The Real Cost of Low Engagement

Disengagement isn’t always loud.
It’s the quiet drag you carry every day.
You see it in:

  • Higher staff turnover
  • Missed deadlines and KPIs
  • Rising error rates and rework
  • Low ownership and accountability
  • A lack of initiative
  • Difficulty retaining high performers
  • Flat energy, low creativity, and minimal innovation
  • Customer dissatisfaction that shouldn’t be happening

And for you?
It’s frustrating. Overwhelming. Stressful.
You start wondering if it’s you.
You notice your own care starting to drop off—because it feels like no matter what you do, no one else around you really cares.
And now, work is creeping into your home life too—because if you don’t stay on top of everything, it won’t get done.

Now Compare That to What’s Possible

In Gallup’s most recent study—analysing 112,312 business teams—the contrast between low-engagement and high-engagement teams was massive:

  • 10% higher customer loyalty and engagement
  • 23% higher profitability
  • 18% higher sales productivity
  • 14% higher production performance
  • 18% lower turnover in high-turnover organisations
  • 43% lower turnover in low-turnover organisations

These aren’t soft metrics. They’re hard numbers—rooted in performance, retention, culture, and results.

The Real Cost of Low Engagement?

It’s not just the $8.8 trillion figure.
It’s the lost potential sitting inside your team.
It’s the weight you carry trying to hold it all together.
It’s the nights you spend catching up on what should’ve been handled during the day.


So the real question becomes: what is disengagement costing you and your business—right now?

And more importantly—what would change if your team was truly engaged, aligned, and switched on?


Ready to Turn That Around?

At The Leadership Revolution, we work with business owners, executives, and leadership teams who are ready to move beyond surface-level engagement—and build teams where people are driven, energised, and truly accountable.

If your team has more in them—and you're done dragging them uphill—


👉 Book a strategy session (CLICK HERE) and let’s uncover the root causes of disengagement in your team—and how to shift them for good.