An interesting — and alarming — new survey by software review site Capterra has revealed that 73% of middle managers report feeling “sometimes” or “always” burned out at work. The proportion is higher (76%) for those who work in large enterprises with 1000+ employees, as well as those who work remotely (76%).

Key Factors Contributing to Middle Managers Experiencing Burnout

As for what is driving this immense stress and struggle:

• 50% of middle managers say that they do not have enough time during the week to complete all of their required tasks.
• 56% say that it is outright impossible to give all of their direct reports the one-on-one time that they need or expect.
• Only 45% say that they received managerial training when they were hired or promoted to their role.
• 71% say that they “rarely” or “never” receive ongoing managerial training.

The Impact of Burnout on Less Experienced Middle Managers

Yet perhaps the survey’s most worrisome insight is that 46% of middle managers with less than two years of managerial experience say that they are looking for a new job right now — for both management and non-management positions — compared to 30% of managers with 10 or more years of experience.

“Unless employers are able to curb this trend soon, companies won’t have enough younger managers to replace older managers as they retire,” states the survey report. “Subsequently, the number of direct reports per manager will have to go up — adding more stress for managers and diminishing the work experience for rank-and-file employees.”

Strategies to Address Middle Managers Experiencing Burnout

As for strategies and solutions, Capterra recommends the following three recommendations:

• Promote managers based on potential, not performance.
• Offer more training, both formally and informally.
• Remove hurdles to actual people management through automation.

The Importance of Supporting Middle Managers

Concludes the report: “One middle manager can be the difference between a critical employee staying at a company for decades or walking out the door within six months. That’s why, despite trends toward flattening the org chart and eliminating the level entirely, companies need to put more resources behind their middle managers in 2024 to help them succeed. Rethinking the middle manager role using the recommendations in this report can help right the ship on middle manager burnout and set your organization up for success this year.”

Sources

Capterra – Capterra Survey Reveals High Burnout Rates Among Middle Managers