There’s a new drop! Not Jill Scott (though I am very much enjoying “Be Great”) or the latest America’s Next Top Model exposé (which I am pissed about since it’s a lesson in not having accountability).

Every month, ADP releases data pulled from over 26 million private-sector paychecks because the government’s labor report is no longer as reliable as it used to be. That’s just facts. ADP’s report though is one of the most honest looks we have at what's actually happening in the workplace. Not the LinkedIn version, the IRL version.

The February report dropped last week. Here's what stood out to me.

People are staying. But not because they want to.

The labor market has been in what economists call a "low-hire, low-fire" environment for almost three years. Employers aren't hiring much. They're not letting people go much either. On paper that sounds like stability.

It's not.

ADP's Employee Motivation and Commitment Index dropped again in February, the sixth month in a row. Worker sentiment is now at its lowest point since May 2025. Six months straight. That's not a blip. That's a pattern with a direction.

People aren't staying because they feel good. They're staying because the market isn't giving them somewhere better to go. If you're a leader, that distinction should keep you up at night. Though job hugging sounds cozy…it’s not when people stay because they feel trapped.

The job-hopping math isn’t mathing anymore.

A few years ago, switching jobs was the fastest way to get a raise. The Great Resignation is an era we are all still paying for. Employers were competing hard for talent and workers leveraged it. That's over. Pay growth for job-changers slowed to 6.4% in January and the premium keeps narrowing. Only two sectors are still rewarding job-switching with meaningful bumps: construction and mining.

Knowledge workers. Service workers. Most everyone else? Not even a little bit.

So what does this mean for your team?

You've got people who are showing up, doing the work, and quietly checking out. They're not leaving yet. But six consecutive months of declining sentiment is a check engine light. You can ignore it. A lot of leaders will.

This is exactly what an engagement audit is designed to catch before it costs you. Not a survey you send and forget. An actual look at what your programs are doing, what's landing, and what isn't. Because a lot of organizations have engagement initiatives that were built for a different moment. That moment was a few years ago.

Beyond auditing what's broken, there's real work to do around building leaders who know how to hold a room when things are uncertain. Emerging leaders especially are managing people in a low-morale environment without a lot of runway or training. Inclusive leadership workshops and storytelling for emerging leaders aren't nice-to-haves right now. They're how you keep people connected to the work and to each other so your business achieves its goals.

And if your ERGs are still doing the heavy lifting of keeping underrepresented employees engaged while leadership figures it out, that's a conversation worth having too. I speak at ERG events specifically because that's where the people who need real tools and real talk actually are.

The building has been on fire for six months. You don't have to keep smiling through it. Let’s fix it together.

If any of this sounds like your organization, let's talk. Hit reply or reach out at Equity Activations and we can figure out where to start.

Data: ADP Research Pay Insights Report + Employee Motivation and Commitment (EMC) Index, February 2026

I joined Kim Minnick for her podcast/therapy session called Journey Lines

I’m not a villian but I have an origin story like we all do (that’s why I built a storytelling workshop for emerging leaders). Kim Minnick let me tell my story. I hope you enjoy!

This photo is exactly how it felt to talk to Kim.

There’s no need to let your talent problems continue. Recruiters are busy recruiting but we can solve your training challenges to ensure you are getting the best candidate assessments you need to make your business stronger.