With hybrid work and AI challenges, how can HR motivate disengaged employees?

As workplace expectations evolve — with hybrid models becoming the norm and AI transforming roles — many organizations are grappling with a new challenge: employees quietly disengaging.

While meeting minimum requirements, they are retreating from initiative, collaboration and ownership.

This “quiet quitting” phenomenon is more than a buzzword — it’s a sign that traditional approaches to accountability and motivation may no longer be enough.

At a recent panel discussion, HR leaders from Cadillac Fairview, the Ontario Energy Board, Pet Valu Canada and Kettlemans Bagel shared insights on what’s behind the disengagement, and how to spot, address and hopefully reverse this trend.

What’s behind the lack of motivation?

Disengagement in the workplace is rarely the result of a single factor. As the panelists discussed, today’s employees are navigating a complex landscape of shifting expectations, competing priorities, and evolving definitions of work-life balance.

“People are at the point where they are tired, they’re exhausted, they’re overstimulated, their expectations continue to expand, and their capacity is decreasing because we’ve navigated different, massive shifts in how we actually come to work, how we show up, how we deliver,” said Kris Martin, manager of people operations at the Ontario Energy Board.

Return-to-office mandates and hybrid work policies can also play a role. While some organizations see improved well-being and productivity in-person, others find that rigid mandates can disrupt employees’ sense of autonomy and balance.

As Martin explained: “Our challenge that we’re having is being able to articulate very clearly — especially to the staff who have been performing and delivering and there’s no issues — why we want to bring them back into the office and what’s in it for them in a way that is tangible and that you can sell the concept,” she said, citing as examples the value of connections and inclusivity.

A key driver of disengagement is the growing desire for balance and autonomy, according to Dasha Stupak, vice president of human resources and employee wellness at Pet Valu Canada.

“I’ve actually seen a shift and a generational shift in employees choosing what’s best for them. And they’re finally saying, ‘I no longer have to work 10-hour days, 12-hour days, 14-hour days. I’m going to choose me. I’m going to choose balance in my life,’” she said.

“And sometimes that means disengaging at work and focusing primarily on personal. And other times it's focusing on work and not focusing on personal.”

Less in-person collaboration can also impact people’s efficiency and productivity, said Shubhankar Purandare, director of human resources at Kettlemans Bagel.

“And obviously with the introduction of AI as well, they don't know if [their] job is going to be replaced or not. So, providing that reassurance time and again is also something I would say employers should look at.”

But he emphasized that disengagement is often misunderstood.

“Employees [are not] asking for less, they’re just asking for meaningful work. And I think that change or that shift in mindset will help employers understand that it’s not laziness… It’s just they’re just looking for more meaningful work. And they’re looking for psychological safety.”

How to spot disengagement before it spreads

Disengagement isn’t always obvious. As Carmen Klein, VP of people, culture and brand management at Cadillac Fairview, explained, the media may overblow issues around engagement so it’s important to listen to what’s going on in your actual organization.

“[It’s about] the power of the employee voice, the power of data, the power of asking the right questions, the power of asking the right questions… when people share those insights and those perspectives, it’s pretty powerful,” she said.

“We’re labouring up the qualitative and quantitative data together to generate some insights that roll all the way up to execs. So, that's pretty powerful for us in terms of early indicators and taking action to protect our culture through whatever the organization's going through — and like every organization out there, we're going through a lot. So, we want to keep our pulse on that.”

Stupak agreed that the best early indicators are often found in the subtleties of day-to-day interactions.

“It’s in the quiet times in a meeting, so when they’re not speaking up; it’s when they normally would speak up or normally would provide their opinion, but they no longer do that; it’s really just not showing up for work the way that they used to and not having a voice the way that they used to.

“I find those are some of the best early indicators of knowing that somebody is about to be disengaged or already disengaged.’

Solutions: flexibility without favouritism

The panelists agreed that today’s employees are seeking more than just a paycheck — with flexibility being a top priority.

The “power of flexibility” makes a lot of sense, according to Klein.

“You can mandate people to be in the office but still treat them like adults… and the degree of flexibility you have depends on the role and the team and the individual,” she said. “You’re treating your employees as humans and you’re empowering folks that way.”

But consistency across your teams is key, said Klein.

“We put that back on the... leader to manage, to be honest. So, we're not shepherding or doing our job for them.”

Stupak echoed this, describing Pet Valu’s approach to motivate teams in the hybrid environment through leader enablement.

“We allow our leaders to actually make the decisions of saying, ‘My team should be in on Mondays’ or ‘My team’s going to connect on Wednesdays.’ We allow the flexibility to make those leadership decisions based on not a cookie-cutter approach — because I think that makes organizations fail specifically on mandates — but more so what works for that team.”

At Kettlemans, many employees are keen to shift their hours for greater work-life balance, says Purandare, so the company allows for those shift alterations if they make sense.

But it’s important for leaders to understand they should take a task and purpose-driven focus in offering that flexibility, he said.

“As a leader, do you need your team to be in person? Then call them in-person because it's required. So, the autonomy is with the leaders.”

Solutions: transparency, even without answers

Transparency is equally vital, according to the panellists at the HR Leaders Summit, when it comes to re-engaging and motivating employees.

“If you don’t tell them and you’re not transparent, they will create their own stories,” said Stupak.

“So, manage the message that you want to go out across the organization, down the levels. Make sure that you’re managing that message and they’re hearing from you what you want them to hear and they’re sending that message back down the same way.”

The narrative can be tricky to craft when the company’s going through a bit of a sticky time, said Klein, but it’s important to communicate.

“Employees who are most impacted by a change are the first ones to know about that change for us [so it’s about] owning the narrative, engendering hope where you can and building that trust,” she said.

“I have this mantra which is ‘Communicate even though there's nothing you need to say.’ And when you can't communicate the change with something, maybe communicate the process and that can bring comfort during times of uncertainty.”

The frequency of that communication and transparency are also important, said Martin.

“When you can't disclose or you don't have all of... the answers or you don't have the full clarity or the timing isn't necessarily right… you manage that, including, ‘Here's an update’ — and the update may not contain much, but it's a commitment to continue the dialogue or the communication channel,” she said.
“That actually goes so far because it means that you haven't been forgotten. It means that you are still being acknowledged, you're important.”

Solutions: Motivating employees through accountability

To rebuild motivation in today’s workplace, employers should also be rethinking and adjusting performance expectations to reflect evolving employee norms, ensuring that goals remain relevant and aligned with both organizational needs and individual aspirations.

When it comes to accountability, Klein says it’s about knowing the “hot spots” that might need greater focus at Cadillac Fairview.

“We take a look at which teams are measuring pretty much the bottom 20% of teams on our overall cultural results. And those teams receive dedicated, targeted support from our team on action planning. And we track how those teams are lifting. So, that's the way we try to just target support versus trying to be everything to everybody across the organization.”

Providing actual feedback that is meaningful is also about empowering employees, and “creating a safe environment,” said Purander, who recommended doing performance reviews often, not just on a quarterly or annual basis, and constantly changing the metrics.
“It could be one-on-one; the next quarter, you're doing peer-to-peer feedback; and then the next time… senior leadership is coming in giving you feedback,” he says.

In addition to being clear about changing expectations as a role changes, Purander also advises that the goals should be co-created between leadership and employees.

“It really motivates them and aligns with not only the organization's values, but their personal growth and their personal values. And you're showing them a career roadmap of where they're going to go — tying back to psychological safety.”

But it’s important to note that there's a difference between performance evaluations and individual development plans, said Stupak. And with the changing workforce, people are looking for the latter.

“[It’s about] making a distinction between your performance evaluations of short-term goals with metrics that are driven by how well you do, how well the organization does, but then also layering in a development aspect of long-term goals — and having all of that that tie back to the organization's goals,” she said.

“One of the biggest factors of engagement and motivation is understanding that your job relates to the greater of the company and it relates to how well the company does.”

Martin agrees that people want to know they are valued for their contributions.

“[It’s about] being able to say, ‘The work that I'm doing on this XYZ project or objective or goal lines up to this particular strategic pillar, this component of the corporate scorecard,’” she said.
“We as humans wake up every day wanting to do a good job and wanting to feel valued and wanting to feel like we’re making a difference.”