The lesser understood challenges of middle management.

Our experience as employees is complex. We’re motivated by a whole host of different factors which vary in importance as we move throughout our careers. Salary, firm reputation, job perks, work-life balance, flexibility, team culture, company alignment with our own values – these all come into play. Despite this, the most common reason employees report leaving a job or being dissatisfied at work is a strained relationship with their direct manager. Middle managers also tend to report more stress and burnout than the team members which they manage. 

Interestingly much of the interventions or initiatives we see take a top-down approach, like refreshing company strategy or implementing new procedures. On the other end of the scale, there is also a healthy range of listening tools on the market dedicated to giving employees a voice. While these are all powerful in their own right, we decided to spend some time understanding the challenges that our middle managers face.  

If we can have a positive impact on this crucial part of the chain, we can undoubtedly influence both parties for the better. So, what challenges do our middle managers regularly face? 

The unbridged gap between technical and people skills 

We often promote based on technical skill – you have done their job and done it well. Then, suddenly, you enter a role that requires a whole new skillset – interpersonal skills. Those technical skills that landed this wonderful opportunity, likely developed through structured education or on-the-job learning, are no longer enough. You are now faced with different challenges in your new role as a middle manager. You now need interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence to manage team members, handle conflict and bring out the best in your people.  

Unfortunately, this isn’t always readily available or recognised, and similar to technical skills, this requires training and practise but is too often overlooked. The result of which creates a rocky start for both middle managers and their people. 

Pressure from the top-down and the bottom-up 

Middle managers are regularly caught in the pressure cooker of communicating goals and strategy from leadership down while funnelling questions or pushback from their team. To further complicate things, there is also often limited capacity to influence change to the extent needed, which means poorer negotiation power to support your team’s needs.  

If middle managers could be given access to the right tools to create better dialogue and communicate with their teams, not only could a culture of support be fostered but team members would also be more likely to come along the journey. 

Isolation from other team members 

While middle managers work alongside their team daily, the relationship dynamic between a senior and junior employee can be hard to shake. This often leads to feelings of isolation for managers. Middle managers also tend to operate in silos from other teams or departments, further lengthening the gap between others in the company.  

This could easily be combated by creating deliberate processes or support forums that bring middle managers together, to support and learn from each other. 

Meeting burden 

More often than not, meetings are a necessary component of our workday. They are a useful tool for communication, knowledge sharing and collaboration, but middle managers regularly report being weighed down by meetings. With approximately 35% of the time taken up by meetings, this leaves limited time for other things.  

With recent changes in how we work, ‘Zoom fatigue’ is also causing additional stressors to our work life - and no, you’re not imagining it. Video conferencing has been shown to take more mental energy out of us, with each of us working harder to send and receive nonverbal cues over the camera.  

Increased administrative tasks 

Middle managers are also faced with additional admin load in our new roles. With the new responsibility of onboarding new joiners, managing the team’s day-to-day, reporting across layers, and responsibilities like approving equipment or timesheets, time and energy can quickly become drained.  

We can start by systematically recognising the shift in responsibilities to make daily life easier for our middle managers, also freeing up time for the less operational activities. For example, activities such as team building or even casual check-ins can drive up team morale significantly.  

Limited opportunities for career progression 

No longer a junior, middle managers find their responsibilities increasing along with the complexity of their role. This leaves limited time to undertake further training or development needed to advance to more senior positions. On the other hand, the typical structure also means the number of opportunities to rise in the ranks starts to decrease, making competition increasingly intense.   

This leaves many feeling unmotivated and confused about the next steps in their career. Combined with the other complexities mentioned, middle managers are exposed to a fast-track route to stress and burnout.   

It’s not all doom and gloom though. With a better understanding of the challenges that middle managers face, we are now better informed to help tackle the challenges of this critical layer of management. We can start by equipping them with the knowledge and tools they need to truly make a positive impact on their team.