It’s time to check on your middle managers

Middle managers have had a hard go of it over the past five years. There was the upheaval of the pandemic, followed by ongoing changes in the workplace as companies adjusted to remote work and then, in many cases, eventually brought employees back into the office. Amid all these fluctuations, managers have been tasked with mitigating low morale, parrying employee discontent, and juggling their mounting responsibilities, especially as recurring layoffs thin their ranks.

It doesn’t seem like the challenges middle managers are facing will disappear anytime soon, which could lead to high rates of turnover in the very near future. And it’s also not clear whether a new generation of workers is ready—or willing—to take their place if managers leave their posts.

In surveys, Gen Z workers have indicated they have little interest in middle management and that high rates of anxiety might keep them from taking on those jobs. “As managers struggle, Gen Z sees the toll of the job and backs away, leaving fewer employees to rise into management roles,” writes entrepreneur Jan Bruce. “This puts more pressure on remaining managers.”

Bruce argues that many companies could be facing a “manager crash” this year that would have far-reaching effects, particularly if younger employees don’t want to step into those roles. But there are some things employers can and should do to help support their current middle managers, as well as those who might take their place in the future.

Invest in programs that support middle managers

One thing leaders can do is evaluate psychosocial risk, according to Bruce, which can identify some of the biggest stressors facing managers at the company. That can include everything from tight deadlines to workplace conflict or excessive workloads. Managers are also often expected to oversee day-to-day tasks while also taking on more strategic, long-term projects.

Being explicit about mental health resources and other workplace benefits can also be an important aspect of supporting middle managers, who often report feeling invisible and underappreciated. Mandatory vacations or “disconnect periods” can help alleviate some of the burnout and stress that managers are likely feeling. Beyond that, however, they also need adequate support from their higher-ups. “Making sure managers have consistent, supportive check-ins with their own supervisors can help reduce isolation,” Bruce writes.

Train the next generation of managers

In order to make middle management more appealing, companies also need to think about how to cultivate a new crop of workers who are equipped to step into those roles. Bruce notes that it is important to focus on some of the skills that are most valuable in managers and perhaps underdeveloped among Gen Z employees.

“We have found the employees most skilled in handling change and challenge—the realities that managers deal with daily—have the highest levels of those very skills: emotion control, stress management, engagement, and positivity,” Bruce says. “These are the specific, actionable areas to focus Gen Z training efforts on in order to improve their ability to handle management demands.”

What managers can do

If you’re a manager looking for guidance, there are also steps you can take to better manage your workload and schedule. To avoid toggling between different tasks, management expert Lia Garvin recommends scheduling similar meetings on the same day. “When our calendar looks like Swiss cheese, we can get in the habit of slotting in meetings whenever we have a free moment, but this reinforces the overwhelm of having to operate at so many different levels in one day,” she writes.

Since managers are often hopping from meeting to meeting, it can be difficult to accommodate more strategic work or long-term projects. It can help to pencil that work into your schedule instead of assuming you’ll be able to carve out time in your day. Senior leaders can also help address this pain point by limiting meetings to certain days. “Instead of fitting work in where you can, plan for it,” Garvin says. “Find and schedule one to two hours every week for project time, during working hours, that you don’t schedule over.”

Perhaps the most important strategy managers can adopt, however, is to delegate more and spend less time involved in the details of projects that don’t require close attention. Think of this as a way to give your employees new opportunities while also freeing up time in your day—and hopefully making your job the slightest bit easier. “Ultimately, the middle manager’s role is to empower their teams to grow,” Garvin adds. “It’s impossible to do this when we’re too stuck in all the details and barely able to come up for air.”

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