A history of middle manager stress: The Return podcast, season 3, episode 1
This article is part of a special podcast series covering the challenges and opportunities of returning to the office. More series →
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Middle managers have been underwater since the 1970s.
The greatest challenges, frustrations, and causes of discontent among this middle class of the workforce were documented extensively by the media over the following decades. 50 years later, little has changed.
In 2023 and 2024, headlines like “Middle Managers Are the Least Trusted of All” and “Why Are Middle Managers Unhappy?” and “How to Relieve Pressure on Middle Managers,” on News Cycle.
So why has there been such little improvement for this critical layer of the organizations workforce?
This is what we delve into in the third season of The Return by shining a light on a group of workers who have been largely overlooked and ignored. Middle managers feel stressed, exhausted, and unhappy. It’s time to change the narrative.
To kick off this series, I spoke with Emily Field, a partner in McKinsey’s People & Organization practice based in Seattle, to define exactly what a middle manager is. She has spent the past few years deeply researching the topic of managers for her recently published book, Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work.
It tells us more about why this role is so important to the workforce, how middle managers are emotional rescuers, and how their roles have evolved to become more challenging.
Across six episodes, Season 3 of The Return explores why middle managers are constantly burned out and what needs to be done to help this group of workers who are arguably the most essential to a company’s DNA.
We’ll explore topics including casual managers, the need for training, where managers can find support, how to navigate difficult conversations, and how AI helps them free up their time to focus on the people part of management.
Season 3 of The Return is hosted by Chloe Callahan, a Gen Zer and Senior WorkLife Correspondent at Digiday Media, and produced by Digiday Media Audio Producer Sarah Patterson. Subscribe to the WorkLife Podcast now Apple Podcastor wherever you get your podcasts.
