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The Great Stay: How leaders can act when employees stay – but don’t thrive
Lisa Olsson
October 10, 2025
3
Minutes
We’re seeing a clear shift in today’s job market. Instead of chasing new opportunities with better pay and benefits, many people are choosing to hold on to the jobs they already have. We’ve gone from The Great Resignation to The Great Stay.
MyPerfectResume reports that four out of five employees are worried about losing their jobs in 2025. And the concern isn’t unfounded: while the OECD notes that Sweden’s economy is slowly recovering after two stagnant years, the rebound remains fragile.
So, what does it mean for organizations when employees stay – not because they’re thriving, but because the job market feels uncertain and alternatives are limited? And what can leaders do to address the issue?
The subtle cultural challenges shaping The Great Stay affect both engagement and performance. In this blog post, we’ll explore how you as a leader can act early to strengthen your team and achieve better results.
The Swedish mediation center Medlingscentrum examined how managers experience and handle conflicts and behaviors at work in its report Konfliktbarometern.
It shows that 82% of managers encounter problematic behaviors every month – or more often. Most commonly, this involves passive resistance, a victim mentality, or open negativity.
At the same time, fewer than one in five managers say they know how to respond. Many describe lacking both the time and the tools to act proactively.
Let’s take a concrete example: someone repeatedly spreads negativity in meetings. As a manager, you see the behavior but feel uncertain: Should I address it right away? Will I make it worse? Is it really my responsibility?
Many managers recognize this dilemma: knowing they should act for the sake of the team, yet fearing escalation or being seen as “the tough boss.”
And it’s not surprising. According to data from DDI/HR Dive, nearly half of managers lack the skills needed to handle conflicts effectively – and only about 10% consider themselves highly skilled.
When organizations also lack clear guidelines, mandates, and resources for handling such behaviors, the psychological hesitation becomes even stronger. Managers want to act – but are left on their own.
The result is often passivity. And passivity comes at a cost. Gallup reports that only 23% of employees globally are engaged in their work.
In State of the Global Workplace 2023, Gallup found that disengaged employees cost the global economy around USD 8.8 trillion every year – the equivalent of 9% of global GDP. Applied to Sweden, that equates to roughly SEK 540 billion annually.
It’s clear the challenges exist. But what matters more is knowing how to act in everyday situations. We’re not talking about sweeping organizational changes.
Often the most effective step is to start small – with simple, consistent practices. These can give both managers and employees the tools to spot and address signals before they grow into major problems or conflicts.
Here are three practical ways to act proactively:
Many workplace problems start small: a growing sense of distance in the team, something left unsaid, or a colleague slowly withdrawing. By having regular, informal micro-conversations with employees, you build trust and create a culture where even subtle signals are noticed early.
It doesn’t have to be complicated – on the contrary, small, consistent check-ins can make a big difference to the team’s climate and sense of safety.
Research shows that regular pulse surveys generate much higher response rates (75–90%) than traditional annual surveys. And it’s not surprising. Employees want to be heard—and when short, frequent check-ins become a natural part of work, managers are far better equipped to capture early signals that affect collaboration, performance, and engagement.
Conflicts or low collaboration don’t happen in a vacuum. Often, they stem from unclear roles or expectations. In Konfliktbarometern, 47% of managers cite this as the most common cause of problematic behavior.
Addressing the structures behind problematic behaviors is truly proactive leadership. Find out how employees view their role and how you as a manager can better communicate your expectations.
In larger organizations, this can be time-consuming. Start from the ground up and create templates to support conversations with each employee in the best possible way.
But the effort is worth it – research consistently shows that clarity around roles and expectations makes a difference. A study published in Emerald Insight found that employees with strong role clarity feel more engaged and invest more cognitively in their work, which drives innovation.
Research published in PubMed shows that clarity creates energy and motivation, while ambiguity leads to exhaustion and passivity.
And a third study found that unclear roles are directly linked to increased sick leave, driving costs from absence and lost productivity.
Clear roles and expectations don’t just strengthen collaboration and trust—they also deliver stronger results, faster innovation, fewer sick days, and more sustainable engagement.
At the same time, Konfliktbarometern shows that lack of time is a key reason many managers struggle to address these issues properly.
Many rely on gut feeling – and instincts can often be right. But as one manager in the report expressed it: “I often guess my way forward. That’s not sustainable.”
With Winningtemp’s tools, managers can easily and efficiently track how employees are doing day-to-day. The pulse survey questions are research-based, and the platform uses artificial intelligence to tailor the right questions to each employee.
You decide how many questions to ask and how often employees get the chance to respond. Winningtemp also provides templates for follow-up conversations – helping managers who may lack conflict-handling skills feel supported in their daily work.
Anonymity makes it easier for employees to answer honestly – which can surface issues that might otherwise remain hidden.
With Winningtemp, you save time while gaining a clearer understanding of how your employees are feeling and performing.
Many managers feel they don’t have time to meet every expectation. But not acting carries a cost: cultural problems left unaddressed affect engagement, safety, and performance – and ultimately business results.
The solution doesn’t have to be large-scale organizational changes. Real change often happens through small, recurring actions: a timely micro-conversation, clearer role descriptions, or a pulse survey that captures signals before they turn into problems.
Start small, but do it often. That’s how you as a leader can turn The Great Stay into an opportunity – keeping employees who not only stay but also thrive, grow, and perform.
If you are interested in finding out more about what Winningtemp can offer your organisation get in contact with our sales team.
