People will give 110% when they feel their work MATTERS. But when every day feels like running on a treadmill? That’s when disengagement creeps in.

And yet, when engagement drops, often leaders grasp at straws offering more perks, more team bonding activities, or—worse—another motivational email from leadership.

But here’s the thing: people don’t burn out because they’re working hard. They burn out because their work starts to feel pointless.

So, how do you turn burnout into buy-in?

1. Let people steer the ship: Nobody wants to row in circles all day, waiting for approval at every turn. Give people real ownership over their work, not just a checklist. Establish true stretch activities for your talent, create stand-ups where decisions are made quickly and reasoning understood – even something as simple as rotating the chair in team meetings creates a sense of buy-in and shared purpose.

2. Stop moving the goalposts: Imagine running a marathon only to be told at mile 26, “Oh, actually, keep going—we’ve changed the finish line.” That’s what it feels like when priorities constantly shift without clarity. Engagement thrives when people know where they’re headed and why it matters. Link all goals through to your organisational purpose – a strategic plan on a page is great for this, then share progress against that plan frequently to provide clarity.

3. Make progress visible: Nothing kills motivation faster than feeling like your work disappears into a black hole. People don’t need constant applause—but they do need to see that what they do moves the needle. Create transparent measures of what good looks like – then provide performance updates against those goals. Ensure they are visible – like on the wall! And celebrate success.

Engagement is about giving our teams a reason to care. And that doesn’t come from pizza parties or fancy benefits. It comes from making work mean something.