Ever feel like you’re navigating without a map at work, and everyone else seems convinced you’ve got GPS? You're not alone. A startling Gallup survey recently revealed that fewer than half of U.S. employees today actually understand what their employers expect from them.1 In other words, half of us are just nodding politely in meetings, secretly hoping the assignment was to “circle back” rather than “reinvent the wheel.” (Seriously, who even has the schematics for that?)
This clarity gap has ballooned since the pandemic. Leaders who transitioned teams to hybrid and remote work often assumed expectations were self-evident or easily inferred, because clearly, mind-reading is the hottest new skill endorsed on everyone’s LinkedIn profile. But, expectations aren’t common sense. They’re shared sense. Without deliberate, explicit communication, assumptions fill the void, leading to mistakes, duplicated effort, and everyone's favorite office companion: burnout.
Unclear roles don’t just erode individual productivity; they corrode the entire organizational fabric. The evidence is overwhelming:
Teams with unclear roles experience 22% more conflict. (Surprise! Confusion creates chaos. Who knew?)2
Employees with clearly defined roles are 47% less likely to experience burnout. (Apparently, knowing your job description does wonders for mental health…go figure.)3
Role clarity more than doubles employee engagement. (Turns out, clarity beats guessing games every single time.)4
It seems ambiguity isn’t liberating. It’s paralyzing. When we're unsure what's expected, our brains slip into self-protective mode faster than you can say "status update." We hesitate, procrastinate, and second-guess, spending more time avoiding metaphorical landmines than hitting home runs.
So what can leaders do (short of offering psychic training workshops)?
First, drop the assumption that people intuitively "get it." Clear expectations are a leadership responsibility. They’re not something employees magically decode from vague hints or mysterious emojis. Managers should explicitly check for understanding and realign frequently, especially in hybrid environments. Weekly check-ins, goal alignment exercises, and clarity checks ("Can we pause to make sure everyone is actually on the same page?") can be transformative.
Second, swap ambiguity for autonomy. Research shows people thrive when they have freedom, but only when they clearly understand the boundaries and priorities for exercising that freedom. Defined expectations provide psychological safety, allowing experimentation without fear of accidentally triggering workplace alarms.
Lastly, remember that clarity is compassion. Leaders who communicate clear expectations aren't micromanaging; they're reducing stress, boosting confidence, and signaling clearly: "I see you, your work matters, and yes, that's precisely what we meant by 'urgent.'"
If we truly want workplaces that inspire rather than exhaust, clarity must become non-negotiable. Because in the end, the most dangerous job description is the one you never received (but everyone assumes you did).
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Gallup (2023). State of the Global Workplace Report.
Pollack Peacebuilding Systems (2025). Workplace Conflict Statistics.
Gallup-Workhuman Research (2024). Employee Wellbeing Hinges on Management, Not Work Mode.
Gallup (2023). State of the American Workplace Report.