In a phenomenon called ‘conscious debossing,’ younger employees are becoming increasingly reluctant to assume middle management roles.
This phenomenon is often associated with a larger disengagement among employees, also known as “the great detachment”.
The Remote 2024 Global Workforce Report shows that 52 percent Gen Z workers do not want to be middle managers. The perception of high levels of stress and low rewards in middle management roles is the reason for this reluctance. Barbara Matthews warns that this trend could lead to organisations having talent gaps at critical positions.
She said, “Progression is important for the workforce as well as the growth of the organization.” Many businesses do not act fast enough to tackle the larger issue of the great detachment at the workplace today. The biggest mistake is to think that this is only a problem for the younger generations.
This could be a wrong conclusion which puts businesses at a disadvantage in the months and years to come. We are seeing too many trends and they are consistent to not be part of a larger conclusion.
Impact of presenteeism, disengagement and absenteeism
Presenteeism, where employees seem busy but are not engaged, is also becoming more common. Remote says that this behavior is part of an overall productivity bias at work, which places more emphasis on visibility than trust or flexibility.
Presenteeism has a strong correlation with a lack in rewards that are valuable to employees. Many organizations attribute the disengagement of younger workers to their laziness. The reluctance of younger workers to take on middle management positions highlights a systemic problem – they are discouraged by high pressure combined with inadequate recognition.
Matthews stated that “seeing data suggesting Gen-Z does not want to be middle managers is the first instance where disengagement trends at work are having a quantitative impact on the world itself.” The role of the middle manager is perhaps the most important one in an organization. The future of the organization will be at risk if people don’t want to fill the middle manager role due to the high level of stress and lack tangible rewards.
How to attract talent by balancing work and life?
Young employees who avoid middle management positions are often concerned about work-life harmony. Capterra’s study revealed that 75% of middle managers are currently feeling overwhelmed, stressed or burned out. This report suggests flexible benefit packages such as remote-first approach can alleviate these stressors and make managerial roles more attractive.
Remote’s research indicates that flexibility is a critical factor in combating disengagement. Nearly all hiring manager (98%) said that flexibility was a major factor in candidates’ decision to accept a job offer. Additionally, 34 percent of hiring managers reported that flexible work policies had improved employee engagement in their organizations.
Matthews said that the survey results showed that a work-life balance environment is conducive to sustained productivity and engagement. Businesses should therefore make progress and ambition in the workplace more attractive and valued.
