Are you feeling a little overwhelmed? You are not alone. After years of navigating hybrid work, layoffs, and increasing pressures, many managers are at their breaking point. The stress is relentless.
This creates a vicious cycle. As managers struggle, fewer employees aspire to leadership, increasing the burden on those who remain.
UKG research shows that almost half (46%) of all managers say they’re likely to quit within a year because they are experiencing too much work-related stress. 70% would take a pay cut right now.
70% WOULD TAKE A PAY CUT TODAY FOR A JOB THAT BETTER SUPPORTS THEIR MENTAL HEALTH.
Furthermore, middle managers experience 59% higher emotional demands than their teams, yet they are 12% less likely to receive support.
Without strong managers, employee engagement drops, burnout rises, and organizations risk collapse from within.
Imagine a workplace where managers are supported, resilient, and equipped to lead.
Where leadership is a desirable, fulfilling role rather than a burnout sentence. Organisations with strong management pipelines have higher retention, better performance, and healthier cultures.
Employees who feel supported are twice as likely to work in sustainable environments and experience fewer conflicts.
To reverse this trend the C-suite need to realise that their success – is entirely dependent on their managers success.
Great leaders care. Great managers care. Great teams care. Great teammates care.
The Solution:
I worked with the consulting division within a large Australian bank. They had a heavy workload and were feeling overwhelmed. A risk assessment showed many were feeling burnt out and were not sleeping well.
After my keynote presentation: “Resilience for Uncertain Times.” – managers were broken into groups and asked why they were feeling burned out – the impact of that burnout – and what they thought were possible solutions.
The next week the leader of the division and all managers went through the list and identified three actions:
- Once a week the managers would have breakfast together and get to know each other better.
- They were encouraged to embrace their company’s flexibility policy and save time with less commuting.
- Every Friday at 3pm they would knock off to dedicate to self-care.
After 90 days they completed another pulse survey and energy levels, and engagement had risen dramatically.
To reverse this worrying trend in managers, leaders must act:
- Let managers know they matter – and what you plan to do about their harmful work stress.
- Assess the main root causes of manager’s harmful stress (psychosocial risk) via risk assessments and/or focus groups where you check in and listen with empathy.
- Encourage them to adopt the mantra that ‘selfcare isn’t selfish’ and train them how to put practical rituals in place to turn this resilience knowledge into action.
- Identify one risk to jointly focus on for the next 90 days – after reviewing the top 5 psychosocial risks (harmful stress) and consult with them to identify one risk.
- Monitor progress – check in regularly – and assess results after 90 days and adjust
How We Can Help:
Graeme Cowan is a team care and resilience conference speaker and author. He is also founding Board Director of R U OK? and host of The Caring CEO podcast.
We help managers embrace that selfcare isn’t selfish and learn to care about other, have each other’s back and enjoy working together.
Are your managers thriving—or just surviving?
