'High-stress, low reward': Why Gen-Zers are shunning middle management jobs
They refer to this concept as "unbossing".
The notion is that middle-management positions are outdated and should either be abolished or reformed in some way.
For younger generations such as Gen-Z, sometimes it's a conscious decision to refuse promotion to middle management roles altogether.
A majority of them (52%), according to a study by UK-based talent specialist Robert Walters, report that it's not worth it, a higher rate is reported in France (77%), in Belgium (42%) and in Switzerland (30%).
Why are young adults born during the late 1990s and early 2000s turning down mid-level management positions at work?
For individuals born between 1997 and 2002, the drawbacks are numerous.
Around 69% of them consider mid-management positions to be high-stress and low-reward jobs, indicating longer work hours and increasing responsibilities without a corresponding increase in salary.
Employees in similar industries reported that lack of autonomy (18%) and limited opportunities for professional growth (11%) are significant factors.
North director Lucy Bisset.
"They no longer feel driven to advance their careers in the classical sense," she mentions.
According to research by Capterra, 71% of mid-level managers confessed to feeling overwhelmed, under a significant amount of stress, and experiencing burnout.
How many would say no to a management role?
While 36% of Gen-Zers accept that they might take on a middle-management role at some point, another 16% are firmly against the idea of assuming such a position.
“Taking on middle management roles may become a significant challenge for employers in the future," says Robert Walters North director Lucy Bisset.
An increasing number of professionals across various age groups has begun to perceive the presence of multiple layers of management as fostering an 'us vs. them' mentality, creating a divide between employees who actually carry out tasks and those who assign tasks.
Seventy-two percent of Gen Zs believe the best way to advance in their careers is to focus on personal growth and skill acquisition, rather than pursuing a management position (28%).
Managers are increasingly being targeted for layoffs.
According to recent statistics, the threat of layoffs might deter the younger workforce from taking on higher management roles even further.
The number of dismissals in senior positions has seen a significant increase, with major companies such as Google, Amazon, and Meta all cutting back on middle management levels in 2023 and 2024.
In 2023, technology news website the Verge reported Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg as saying: "I don't believe you want a management structure that's just managers overseeing managers overseeing managers overseeing managers who are overseeing people who do the actual work."
Compared to others, the layoff rate for staff in lower-ranking positions has decreased.
Revitalizing middle management, rather than eliminating it
Only 14% of Gen Z professionals believe the traditional hierarchical structure remains suitable for today's workplace.
Although, 89% of employers still consider mid-managers to be highly important for their organization.
“Mid-level management is a crucial part of any organization," says Bisset, "and employers must find creative ways to make these roles more appealing – such as offering more autonomy, conducting regular workload assessments, and providing opportunities for skill development.”
Adopting an 'unbossed culture' may be the crucial step in transforming the role from solely being perceived as an 'unwanted layer' of management to a facilitator who enables their teams to take ownership of their actions.