10 December 2025
Improving Engagement: How can we help people know what is expected?
This year’s Gallup assessment of global employee engagement does not make for pleasant reading.
Engagement – that critical factor that increases productivity and profitability, and lowers absenteeism and staff turnover – is significantly down globally, and the UK is near the bottom with only 10% of employees engaged in their organisations, according to the 2025 survey.
Managers are critical to turning this around. Gallup estimates that “70% of the variance in team engagement stems directly from the manager”.
We think this can be improved if we focus on the right things, and so this series looks at each the twelve indicators of engagement and asks, “How can we equip managers to positively impact that specific answer and meet these basic needs?”
“I know what is expected of me at work.”
This first of the twelve questions is one Gallup considers a foundational need. If this were Maslow’s Hierarchy, it would be in the big section at the bottom of the pyramid.
Why this focus is important
Clear expectations reduce uncertainty and allow employees to focus energy on productive work. It’s not enough to just “tell them what they need to do when they have questions”. Gallup reports that one in two employees globally strongly agree that they know what is expected of them at work. Increasing this ratio can help an organisation:
- Reduce turnover
- Reduce safety incidents
- Increase productivity
What managers can do
Managers and organisations can help to meet this basic need and increase engagement through:
Onboarding. New employees decide whether they feel at home or not in the first weeks in a company. Research conducted by The Wynhurst Group found that 22 percent of staff turnover occurs in the first 45 days of employment. Onboarding is the opportunity to clearly communicate the expectations of the organisation's culture and values, and how this specific person’s role is linked to the brand’s services and products.
Communicating expectations. Set SMART goals and meet to discuss them regularly. Help colleagues see how their day-to-day work and goals are linked to what the organisation is trying to achieve.
Ongoing training and development. Regular training for employees is crucial as it enhances understanding of role, culture and company expectations. By providing continuous learning opportunities, managers can ensure that employees are well-informed about their roles and responsibilities, as well as fostering a culture of growth and development.
Regular one-to-ones. High-performing organisations implement frequent one-on-ones and team meetings to review progress and ensure alignment with expectations. These touchpoints help clarify priorities and address any ambiguities.
How Breeio can help managers and colleagues
Breeio LMS and Review can help managers by supporting and delivering:
Onboarding training: Breeio LMS allows organisations to deliver e-learning, manage face-to-face training events, and create a knowledge base of company information. New colleagues can access before they join, saving time on-the-job, but also satisfying a natural desire new colleagues have for information about their new role. Read more about onboarding here.
Ongoing regular training: Breeio offers colleagues a course library, automated course renewals, as well as performance support resources and information to keep training continuous and current.
Objective-setting: Breeio allows colleagues to set their own objectives, or have line managers set and track objectives for each team member. Objectives can be linked to skills, target dates, and then signed off as complete by managers.
AI Objectives Coach: Breeio’s AI Objectives Coach allows colleagues to discuss and set SMART objectives with an AI coach who assists in the development of a plan to meet the objective. Previous discussions can be resumed and progressed as one works toward the objective.
One-to-ones: Breeio’s Performance Review module enables managers to quickly log one-to-one discussions and set reminders for regular catch-ups. Organisations can further support managers by providing templates for helpful one-to-one discussions, as well as supporting materials for one-to-ones, such as cascade communications, key issue discussion packs, or well-being check-ins.
Performance Reviews: Breeio’s Performance Review module supports managers in their more formal reviews, providing a clear structure for providing clear feedback on performance, expectations and agreeing development plans. It’s important that both colleagues and reviewers have clarity on how performance will be assessed.
Ten months after Breeio Review launched within a large UK health and social care organisation, 95 per cent of the 4,200 colleagues said they had received valuable feedback, with many making comments like, “After my review I felt more valued in my job” and “I now have a clear direction of what I need to do within my job role”.
Setting clear expectations is crucial for both employee engagement and the success of an organisation. When employees understand what is required of them, they are more likely to excel in their roles, they are more likely to stay, and organisations and customers benefit.