Global employee engagement has fallen from 23% to 21% in 2024.[1] Perhaps that doesn’t sound too huge? Well, it equals the drop witnessed during COVID-19 lockdowns; which presaged an avalanche of quiet quitting and employee dissatisfaction at work. More concerningly, the driver for this trend isn’t frontline employees, but their leaders. Manager burnout has reached unprecedented levels, at least since surveys began, which will inevitably cascade throughout organisational hierarchies, threatening business performance and talent retention.
The Manager Engagement Crisis
The statistics paint a clear picture: manager engagement has dropped from 30% to 27%, while individual contributor engagement remained static at 18%. No other worker demographic has experienced such a significant decline. More concerning still, two manager groups have been disproportionately affected: young managers under 35 saw a five-percentage-point drop, while female manager engagement collapsed by a staggering seven points.
This decline hasn’t emerged in a vacuum. The past five years have subjected organisations to relentless disruption:
- Post-pandemic retirements and unprecedented turnover
- Rapid hiring fluctuations
- Restructured teams and departments
- Reduced budgets following the end of stimulus programmes
- Supply chain disruptions
- Evolving customer expectations
- Digital transformation and AI integration
- New employee demands regarding flexibility and remote work.
These compounding factors place extraordinary pressure on managers who find themselves squeezed between senior leadership expectations and frontline employee needs, all complicated by a continuously shifting commercial landscape.
The Critical Link Between Manager Wellbeing and Business Performance
Why should C-suite executives treat this as an urgent priority? Because 70% of team engagement is directly attributable to managers. When managers thrive, their teams deliver better performance, reduced absenteeism, stronger customer relationships, and increased sales.
The opposite is equally true. Manager burnout inevitably leads to declining performance, increased absenteeism, and higher turnover – not just among the managers themselves, but cascading throughout the teams they lead.
The data also reveals troubling connection with mental health; disengaged employees aren’t just struggling at work. 15% of employees in the UK reported feeling lonely, miserable or bored at work in 2024. [2] When managers struggle with wellbeing, the impact extends far beyond their desk; creating a cycle that undermines organisational culture and business outcomes.
The Gender Dimension: Female Managers Face Steeper Challenges
While the decline in manager engagement affects all demographics, female managers are experiencing particularly acute challenges. Despite increased corporate focus on inclusion and wellbeing, these priorities aren’t consistently translating into meaningful manager action or support.
Female managers report receiving less assistance in navigating workplace challenges than their male counterparts, with women of colour experiencing even less support. Given that consistent manager support strongly correlates with promotion likelihood, this disparity almost certainly disadvantages women’s career progression, particularly women of colour. Young women face additional barriers, with approximately half of women under 30 reporting that their age has resulted in missed opportunities. They’re almost twice as likely as younger men to receive unwanted comments about their age. These ‘othering’ micro-aggressions reduce a sense of belonging, all of which makes it harder for women to bring their authentic selves to work.[3] Authenticity is a key component of engagement – not just for a manager, but for employees, who instinctively recognise inauthenticity and withhold support and confidence as a result.
This gender disparity represents a significant blind spot in many talent management strategies. Women remain just as ambitious as men, yet perceive more obstacles to advancement. For organisations committed to building robust leadership pipelines, addressing female manager burnout should be a strategic priority.
Hybrid Work: Both Challenge and Opportunity
The shift toward hybrid and remote work arrangements has created new complexities for managers. While offering potential benefits for work-life balance, hybrid work challenges require managers to develop new competencies in virtual leadership, digital collaboration, and distance-based performance management.
Many managers report feeling ill-equipped for these new demands, creating additional stress factors. Without proper support and training, managers may resort to ineffective approaches like micromanagement or presenteeism requirements that undermine the potential benefits of flexible working arrangements and fail to recognise the difference between ‘splitters’ and ‘blenders’ which has become a key factor in return to work management.[4]
However, organisations that invest in helping managers navigate hybrid environments can transform these challenges into opportunities. Research consistently shows that autonomy and self-determination – being empowered to shape one’s job – makes work more meaningful and enjoyable. When properly implemented, hybrid work can enhance these factors, but only when managers receive proper support.
Building an Effective Employee Engagement Strategy via Managers
Addressing manager burnout requires a comprehensive employee engagement strategy that specifically targets manager wellbeing. Here are key components organisations should explore:
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Providing Continuous Learning Opportunities
Only 44% of managers globally say they have received management training; so this one improvement could fundamentally change the workplace for the better. Supporting manager growth through a range of training opportunities beyond core leadership skills is likely to enhance the organisation as a whole, because this not only builds capacity but also provides refreshing mental shifts that can help prevent burnout.
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Creating Robust Feedback Mechanisms
Encouraging bi-directional feedback between managers and leadership can be powerful. Asking managers about their performance concerns, responsibilities, and perspectives on senior leadership creates self-reflection and a sense of autonomy. Providing honest, constructive feedback about their performance helps managers improve while demonstrating that the organisation values their input.
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Recognising Achievement
Actively commending managers when their efforts directly impact organisational success is a substantial contributor to manager wellbeing. Tracking these successes and linking them to future promotion ensures visibility across leadership and supports wellbeing.
Recognition isn’t merely a feel-good exercise, it’s a powerful tool for manager retention and motivation.
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Investing in Leadership Development
Developing structured leadership development programmes will establish clear expectations and best practices. These initiatives should not only support current managers but also create pipelines for future leadership talent. By investing in manager growth, organisations demonstrate commitment to long-term success while providing managers with clear advancement pathways.
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Reevaluating Benefits Packages
Offering benefits that genuinely support work-life balance and overall well-being is a key recruitment/retention tool. Consider benefits that extend beyond traditional offerings to address holistic needs, including mental health support, family-friendly policies, and wellness initiatives. These benefits should be regularly reassessed against competitive benchmarks to ensure they remain attractive retention tools.
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Optimising Workload and Efficiency
Identifying (and eliminating) unnecessary tasks and bureaucratic procedures stops managers burning out on ‘make work’. Organisations can leverage technology, such as performance management or people analytics software, to streamline administrative responsibilities. This enables managers to focus on high-impact activities like coaching and strategic planning – which is both more impactful and more rewarding.
The Path Ahead
As organisational culture continues to evolve amid ongoing disruption, manager well-being should become a central strategic concern. When managers burn out, the ripple effects undermine engagement throughout the organisation. Conversely, when managers thrive, they create environments where employees can perform at their best. By addressing manager burnout with the same urgency as other business-critical issues, organisations can reverse concerning engagement trends and build resilience for future challenges. The investment in manager well-being isn’t merely a human resources concern; it’s a business necessity with direct implications for performance, innovation, and competitive advantage.
Source
[1] https://www.gallup.com/workplace/659279/global-engagement-falls-second-time-2009.aspx
[2] https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/factsheets/engagement-factsheet/
[3] https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace
[4] https://www.gallup.com/workplace/405392/splitters-blenders-two-different-relationships-work.aspx
