Over a 10-day period, I heard something so I’m saying something. Three young women I know who don’t know each other told me how they had gone to their bosses to volunteer information gleaned from or about their organization’s customers. Two of them offered solutions too. Rather than being pleased with their initiative, their bosses blew them off and didn’t want to listen to them. Not surprisingly — at least to me — all three women said they left their bosses feeling frustrated.

These women aren’t alone. Gallup’s 2023 U.S. Employee Engagement Trend reported that female workers younger than the age of 35 registered the biggest decline in engagement year over year, feeling “less cared about at work,” “less likely to have someone to encourage their development,” and “more concerns about their opinion counting.”

This problem seems to run deeper than poor communication, strained relationships, and not enough employee development. Employees, especially those who came of age after 9/11 with a “see something say something” mindset, have a different worldview and perspective than many of their leaders. And the leaders are missing out to their detriment and the detriment of the business too.

For more, read my Forbes Coaches Council article, To reduce hidden costs and get better results, listen to employees, published online June 27, 2023.