Insights from the 2025 Workplace Pulse Survey
By Bruce Tulgan
In October 2025, we asked leaders, managers, and individual contributors to share the biggest challenges they’re facing in their work right now. Professionals—from executives to frontline employees—responded candidly. Their insights paint a vivid picture of the pressures shaping today’s workplace.
What stood out most is not how different the challenges are across levels—but how deeply interconnected they’ve become.
Across the board, people are struggling with uncertainty, overload, burnout, and confusion about expectations. Yet the overwhelming theme that connects every group is clear:
People want more clarity, structure, and hands-on guidance from their managers.
Executives: Leading Through Uncertainty
Executives in our survey overwhelmingly named economic and political uncertainty as their top concern. They also highlighted:
- Building and retaining high-performing teams
- Managing culture and values in a changing world
- Staying personally resilient amid constant pressure
From disruptive new technologies to shifting generational expectations, leaders are being pulled in multiple directions at once. One respondent described “too many distractions” and “too many non-critical uses of AI” — a signal that unfocused innovation can quickly become noise.
Another theme: executives are worried that managers aren’t providing enough real-time coaching, accountability, or follow-through. As one put it bluntly:
“Managers are not holding team members accountable. Failure to teach. Afraid of coaching.”
Senior and Middle Managers: The Breaking Point
If executives are dealing with uncertainty, managers are dealing with the fallout.
A large majority of managers in our survey cited burnout, disengagement, or turnover as a top challenge. More than half said they struggle with:
- Communicating expectations and driving accountability
- Handling pressure from above and below
Managers are caught in the middle — responsible for executing strategy and supporting their teams while also managing constant change. Several respondents said they don’t have enough time or staff to “work on the business instead of in the business.”
Others described the chaos of shifting priorities and unclear direction:
“We still have too many metrics. Too many initiatives. And too many conversations without actual momentum toward solutions.”
This is exactly where teaching-style management becomes essential: short, structured, frequent conversations that bring focus and clarity into the daily workflow.
Individual Contributors: Hunger for Clarity
Meanwhile, employees at the ground level echoed what I hear every day in organizations:
“We need better communication and direction from management.”
Many individual contributors selected communication issues as their number one challenge.
They also cited:
- Adapting to new technologies and AI tools
- Heavy workloads and burnout
- Limited career development support
Some expressed frustration that their managers say they want accountability and development, but don’t make time for real one-on-ones or detailed feedback. One wrote:
“I teach leadership and management programs—and even in my own organization, managers don’t do the basics.”
That comment captures the misalignment perfectly: employees know what great management looks like, but they don’t always experience it.
A Systemic Gap — and a Big Opportunity
What’s powerful about these findings is how they align:
- Executives want stronger people leadership.
- Managers feel overwhelmed and under-equipped.
- Employees want clearer direction and more frequent feedback.
The good news?
All three problems point to the same solution:
More structured, hands-on, teaching-style management.
Not micromanaging.
Not one-off pep talks or slogans.
But real leadership: consistent expectations, clear communication, and ongoing coaching that helps people succeed.
Teaching-Style Management: The Daily Practices That Fix the System
For decades, my research has shown that most workplace problems can be traced back to a lack of high-quality, ongoing communication between managers and their people.
This survey confirms it once again.
Teaching-style managers:
- Set clear, concrete expectations
- Stay engaged in the details of the work
- Provide frequent guidance and course correction
- Anticipate pushback and prepare for it
- Build real accountability into daily workflow
- Create stronger relationships based on clarity and trust
These habits are not complicated—but they require intention, discipline, and practice.
And in 2025, they are needed more than ever.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Over the coming months, I’ll be sharing more insights and tools based on this survey, including:
- Practical steps for managing burnout
- How to adapt to AI and new technologies without overwhelming your team
- The art of handling pushback in performance conversations
- How to build high-performing teams in a high-uncertainty world
If you want to bring these practices into your organization, my team and I offer virtual workshops, leadership development programs, and organizational training designed to help managers at every level put these tools into action.
Interested in learning more? Get in touch with us to explore how we can support your leaders and managers.
Together, we can help leaders and teams navigate 2025 with more clarity, confidence, and capability.