Middle managers under most stress, CIPD research shows

49 per cent feel under excessive pressure every week

UK middle managers are feeling the squeeze as a result of the economic downturn, according to the CIPD’s quarterly Employee Outlook survey of 2,000 employees.

Almost half (49 per cent) of middle managers say they are under excessive pressure either everyday or once or twice a week, compared to 30 per cent for those without managerial responsibility and 37 per cent for all UK employees.

Managers are particularly unhappy with their work-life balance, with just 44 per cent agreeing that they are satisfied with it, compared to 70 per cent for non-manager employees.

They also worry most about their job security, with one in three (29 per cent) middle managers believing it is likely they could lose their job as a result of the economic downturn, compared to 21 per cent of employees with no managerial responsibility and 15 per cent of senior managers.

Perhaps not surprisingly given these findings, middle managers are the category of employees that are most likely to be looking for a new job with a different employer, with 29 per cent looking to move organisations compared to a survey average of 21 per cent.

Ben Willmott, CIPD head of public policy, said “Middle managers are often caught in the middle between delivering strategic objectives and managing under-pressure line managers. They can also be first in line when organisations look to reduce head count. While middle management will undoubtedly bear its share of job losses in organisations needing to reduce head count, it is also important to remember the crucial role these managers play in managing change, translating the objectives of senior managers into actions, and motivating others.

“The CIPD’s Shaping the Future research project into sustainable organisation performance found that suitably skilled middle managers can play a key role in managing change and organisation transformation. As translators, they can facilitate two-way communications between leaders and the front line and, as transformers, they can bring change to life. Much of this can be lost if change simply involves “delayering” this middle-management tier, rather than refocusing, retraining and drawing on their skills and experiences.

“It is also important that employers don’t ignore the health and wellbeing of their middle managers. With a fifth of middle managers saying they are under excessive pressure everyday they are particularly at risk of suffering from work-related stress and burnout.”