The leadership segment at Connex 2025 featured a wide-ranging discussion on The Great Detachment, a growing workplace challenge marked by declining engagement and a weakening connection between employees and organizational purpose in the post-COVID era.
Setting the tone for the conversation, Ali Naseer, Chief Strategy Officer at Jazz, underscored that detachment in modern organizations is no longer about where people work, but how connected they feel to their roles, their growth, and the broader mission of the organization. He noted that as workplaces become increasingly digital, sustaining engagement requires a sharper focus on relevance, skills, and meaning at work.
Bringing a data-led perspective to the discussion, Ali shared insights from Jazz’s internal people metrics between 2023 and 2025. He noted that employee churn across the organization has declined over this period, while engagement scores have remained stable, an outcome he attributed to deliberate organizational choices rather than chance.
According to Ali, a key driver of this stability has been Jazz’s sustained investment in learning and capability development. Over the past two years, total learning hours across the organization have increased from 541 hours to morkorwe than 20,000 hours, reflecting a strong shift toward continuous development and long-term skill relevance.
He added that participation in AI-focused learning programs has expanded significantly, growing from approximately 300 employees to more than 2,600. This focus on future-ready skills, Ali noted, has helped reinforce employee confidence and alignment at a time when many professionals are navigating uncertainty around how technology will reshape their roles.
Addressing generational change more broadly, Ali cautioned against oversimplified narratives around disengagement. He emphasized that different cohorts have entered the workforce under very different conditions, particularly during and after COVID-19, and that leadership responses must be grounded in empathy, adaptability, and an understanding of evolving expectations.
Technology and artificial intelligence featured prominently in his reflections. Ali described AI as “augmented intelligence,” reinforcing the idea that technology is most powerful when it enhances human capability rather than replacing it. Drawing parallels with previous waves of innovation, from the industrial age to the internet, he noted that while AI represents a more complex shift, its long-term impact will depend on how effectively organizations equip people to work alongside it.
Perspectives from other panelists reinforced that the Great Detachment is a multifaceted issue shaped by culture, leadership styles, generational dynamics, and how technology is integrated into daily work. While experiences vary across sectors, there was broad agreement that purpose, values, and meaningful connection remain central to sustaining engagement.
As the session concluded, a clear message emerged: addressing detachment requires more than technology or structural change alone. By investing in people, aligning capability with purpose, and combining digital tools with thoughtful leadership, organizations can rebuild connections and create workplaces where employees feel engaged, relevant, and prepared for the future.